1941 Congeroo Dancers appear in Hellzapoppin'. 1939 Arthur White's Lindy Hoppers appear in Keep Punching. 1938 Whitey's Hopping Maniacs appear in Radio City Revels (uncredited). 1937 Whitey's Lindy Hoppers appear in A Day at the Races (uncredited). 1936 Whyte's Hopping Maniacs appear in downtown reopening of the Cotton Club. Introduces 'stops' and synchronized ensemble lindy routines. 1935 Introduces the first Lindy air step, over-the-back. 1934 Invited by Herbert 'Whitey' White to join elite group of Savoy Lindy hoppers.

1926 Savoy Ballroom opens at Lenox Avenue and 140th Street in Harlem. Timeline 1914 Born on May 26 in Jacksonville, Florida. Millman, was published by Temple University Press in spring 2007.įrankie passed away in 2009, but his memory and legacy are being carried on by swing dancers around the world.

His autobiography, Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, co-written by Cynthia R. Frankie's activities have been chronicled in hundreds of articles (including features in GQ and People) and dozens of news programs (including a profile on ABC's 20/20).Ĭonsidered the world's leading authority on the lindy, he is highlighted in Ken Burns's acclaimed documentary, Jazz. He won a 1989 Tony Award for his choreography in Black and Blue, and served as a consultant for and performed in Spike Lee's Malcolm X. From then on he was in constant demand and motion, teaching, choreographing, and performing globally. Upon the demise of the Swing Era, Frankie took a job in the Post Office, where he worked for thirty years until his rediscovery by a new generation of swing dance enthusiasts in the mid-1980s. Swing dancer extraordinaire Frankie Manning was a leading dancer at Harlem's legendary Savoy Ballroom where, in the mid-1930s, he revolutionized the course of the lindy hop with his innovations, including the lindy air step and synchronized ensemble lindy routine.Īs a featured dancer and chief choreographer for the spectacular Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, he performed in numerous films (including Hellzapoppin'), and entertained on stages around the world with jazz greats Ethel Waters, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cab Calloway.

Frankie Manning by Frankie Manning