Frankie Manning

Louis & Company
Lindy Hop workshop 25-27 April 2003

10409 Marty, Overland Park, KS. 66212  (913-385-0707 http://www.funwithstyle.com).
(Overland Park, Just west of Metcalf)


Unless otherwise noted photos and copyright 2003 Mike Strong KCDance.Com and Mike Strong Photo Gallery and CV Site - Email This Page

Left: Frankie talks to the class.
Right: Frankie and Laura Cantu demo a jump with a kick, making sure the kick is timed right.

Left: "Girls, lift those boys!"
Right: "Boys, lift those girls!"


In a mere two days Frankie took this group, some very experienced and some just starting, from basic Lindy to aerials. The place looked like a chorus line. More than that, the simple joy and fun of the Lindy was everywhere. Both dance (steps) and music stayed together as Frankie continually stopped the steps to clap to the music.

Louis and Dave

Ann and Alan

Meg and Frankie
Saturday night's dance was really high energy, pretty near off the scale and even a bit ragged-edge at times. The Dave Stephens Swing Orchestra played live, for the dance and for the Jam. The Swingsters performed and Frankie gave a truly premier lead on the Shim Sham. "Don't you wish you were out there?" he said, "Ye-s-s-s-s."

Thom and Nicole

Jen and Ed (Ed's arm anyway :-) ) Who run Cat's Corner, our own Lindy Hop org.

Frankie and Buck
On Sunday Frankie headed down to 18th and Vine to take a picture standing at the 18th and Vine street sign. Laura and Frankie got a picture at 18th and Bovine (the cow sculpture next to the GEM). Although it was after hours a KU group was holding a meeting and the lady in charge of the Jazz Museum let us wander through. She also got Frankie's autograph in one of their books on Jazz history. As we left, who should be coming in the door but Buck O'Neill. I grabbed him quickly reminding him about meeting with Leonard Reed and said and this is Frankie Manning. Well of course they knew each other. So we got a nice picture of the two together.

18th and Vine

Included File: From Pre-event Announcement

Frankie Manning Links Email This Page

Frankie Manning Links

Date: 22 April 2003, Mike Strong

Head for Google and enter a search for "Frankie Manning" (include the quotes) and you get a large number of links. Here are a few of them, distilled on this page. It doesn't take much of a look to realize that Frankie Manning's influence and current travel takes him all over the world (really, ALL).

This weekend (weekend of April 25th 2003) we will be fortunate to have this man in Kansas City at Louis Bar's studio, Louis and Company in Overland Park, KS (913-385-0707 http://www.funwithstyle.com). If you can get there, do. This one costs a little more than some of the other workshops but this is one you really don't want to miss. Workshops happen on a fairly regular basis, including workshops from the best dance instructors. But ...

We don't often get the chance to take classes from walking, talking, dancing history, in person. From one of the originators of swing. From someone who straddles the eras from the 20's and to this new century and the enormous societal changes which have taken place in that period of time.

The society that Frankie Manning found himself in so long ago (and for some, not so long ago) seems in some ways almost as if it must have been another planet in another system. And in some ways, not so different.

In any case please head for the workshop and in any case inform your attendance with information from the link below. In particular, check out the interviews.

If you can get hold of Norma Miller's Book "Swingin' at the Savoy, Memoirs of a Jazz Dancer" pick it up. It don't know whether it is still in print. Mine is precious. Miller writes about the events, places and people from her own perspective, a dancer. Not a sociologist or political scientist so her observations mean more to those of us who dance.

 

Savoy Style - Archives of Early Lindy Hop

Frankie Manning's Swing Workshop Schedule
Biographies at Savoy Style
Biography of Frankie Manning
History of Lindy
African influences in the origin of swing dancing
Things to buy at Savoy Style

Other Sites

Frankie's 85th Birthday Site (May 26, 1999 at the Roseland Ballroom)

86th Birthday bash in Tokyo for the Tokyo Swing Dance Society - May 2000

Swing Jam instructor bio for Frankie

Swing Patrol (Australia) Frankie Manning Page (lots of articles and links, including interviews)

Swing Patrol Frankie Manning Timeline

 

Super Interviews - Ya Gotta Read!

City Arts uncut Interview with Frankie Manning

Washington Post internet forum interview with Frankie Manning (Jan. 1999)

PBS jazz - Interview with both Frankie and Norma Miller
Norma wrote "Swingin' at the Savoy, Memoirs of a Jazz Dancer"
(This is a 24-page PDF document)

Melbourn3 PBS - Swing Patrol's site Radio interview transcript

Short book excerpt interview - From "Swing! The New Retro Renaissance"

 

 

 


 


Unless otherwise noted photos and copyright 2024 Mike Strong KCDance.Com and Mike Strong Photo Gallery and CV Site - Email This Page

Other Louis & Co pages on this site:

Ballroom Fever - 21 Aug 2009
Higginsville - Dance With the Stars 2008
Wedding: Laura Cantu and Louis Bar: 7 July 2007
Spring 2007 Dance Festival
Fall Dance Festival 2006
Ballroom Kids 01
Ballroom Kids 02
Frankie Manning Workshop
Louis and Company

Phone: 913.385.0707
10409 Marty, Overland Park, KS 66212
Website: http://www.funwithstyle.com
Louis and Laura


Unless otherwise noted photos and copyright 2024 Mike Strong KCDance.Com and Mike Strong Photo Gallery and CV Site - Email This Page