Frankie Manning
Frankie Manning has always been one of the most essential factors in the development and dissemination of the Lindy hop, from social dancing in Harlem's ballrooms as a youngster to his stay with the elite Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. He is recognized with several influential and long-lasting contributions to this uniquely American art form, including the development of the Lindy air step and synchronized ensemble Lindy routine, which helped catapult the dance from the ballroom to the stage and movie. Frankie was born in 1914 in Florida and lived there until he was three years old, when his mother brought him to Harlem, the birthplace of the Lindy Hop. Frankie discovered he was part of a group of dedicated dancers who would inspire the dancing and music of the 1930s and 1940s as he grew up in the midst of this Swing Era landscape.
Frankie quickly took his talents on the road as a lead dancer and principal choreographer for Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, based at the Savoy Ballroom, to which he was captivated as a teenager by its great swing bands and fabulous Lindy hopping. He toured the world with jazz greats Ethel Waters, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Cab Calloway, among others, and appeared in several films, including Radio City Revels with Ann Miller (1937) and Hellzapoppin' with Olsen & Johnson and Martha Raye (1941). Frankie did a command performance for King George VI while dancing in London in 1937. Manning, dubbed "Musclehead," was featured in a Life magazine piece in 1941, highlighting his acrobatic Lindy style.
Frankie was rediscovered in 1986, thanks to the rebirth of swing dance. Frankie globetrotting once more, sharing his dance magic through seminars, lectures, and performances, this living legend arose to lead a new breed of jitterbugs whose fascination with the Lindy hop set Frankie globetrotting once more. Frankie was featured in ABC's primetime news show 20/20 in 1989. "Frankie Manning is one of our country's cultural jewels, and he went unacknowledged for far too long," producer Alice Pifer said. That's why I thought he deserved to be featured on national television."
Frankie was a dance consultant and performed in Spike Lee's film Malcolm X in 1992. He choreographed and danced in Stompin' at the Savoy, an NBC made-for-television movie directed by Debbie Allen, with fellow Lindy hopper Norma Miller. Frankie has choreographed for a variety of dance companies around the world since 1988, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballroom Theater, Zoots and Spangles (England), The Jiving Lindy Hoppers (England), The Rhythm Hot Shots (Sweden), and New York's own Big Apple Lindy Hoppers, for whom he served as artistic director and chief choreographer.
- Born: May 26, 1914Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
- Died: April 27, 2009 (aged 94)Manhattan, New York, U.S.
- Known for: Choreographer, dancer
