Email This Page Email This PageFrankie 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"