Early Swing History.

The late Frankie Manning (1914-2009) was one of the founding fathers of the Lindy Hop and he remains the most influential person on the culture and spirit of the modern-day Lindy Hop scene.

A leading dancer at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom back in the mid-1930’s, Frankie Manning was one of the stars of his time and instrumental in shaping Lindy Hop as we know it today. Frankie performed as the head dancer and choreographer in many Hollywood films and in theatres all over the world with the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway.

Another key figure celebrated in Lindy Hop circles is Norma Miller (1919-2019). Norma was a child when the Savoy Ballroom was at its peak. As a young black girl growing up in Harlem she didn’t have many choices, but she could dance and would practice continually. She was spotted outside the Savoy, by ‘Twist Mouth George’. She later joined Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and went on to have a career as a dancer, choreographer, comedian and writer. She became known as the original ‘queen of swing’.