Totally awesome website for the Female Vintage lover

http://www.queensofvintage.com/

Stumbled across this website and fell in love INSTANTLY! Great for makeup tips, hair tips, clothing, interior design etc etc etc. You name your vintage era and they have stuff on it. My love? 1940's and 1950's/60's. Lots of Mad Men info as well.

Enjoy!

Lindy Hop Continues to make the news. Yeah!

Luminato in Toronto

So yesterday Toronto had a free swing dancing evening at Dundas Square for the large and very exciting arts week called Luminato.

The attached links are pics from the Lindy Hop evening and other pics from the festival (which is still going on).

If you are ever in Toronto I highly recommend that you attend, it is super awesome!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/standarddeviant/3615919626/

NYC City Celebrates Frankie Manning's life this weekend

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/nyregion/23lindy.html?_r=2

Great article from the NY Times about the Frankie95 weekend. I wish I could be there, but this is great to read about!

Frankie Manning Documentary

Frankie Manning Documentary Interview

http://http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=81451922013&h=HCuda&u=yZEcC&ref=nf


check out an interview with the director of the Frankie Manning Documentary

Oh Dina!

2 weekends ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Toronto Clothing Show, where I stumbled upon a Canadian designer that designed the most delightful hair pieces. called "Oh Dina!".





I know Oh Dina! is working on a website but in the mean time go and visit the facebook page to see pictures and pictures of this vintage looking hair pieces. You too will fall in love just like I did! I swear!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=45073338644&ref=ts

Oh and the price I paid...$25.00. What a Steal!

Frankie is gone....but is still in the swing dancers hearts

On May 2nd the great Frankie Manning was laid to rest, in a "lavender coffin" send off. Music and dancing and friends all around.

He will be missed but I will be forever grateful for bringing Lindy Hop to this world and into my life. It has changed me in so many ways, positive ways and I want to carry on Frankies legacy thru my dancing.

Thank you Frankie for being in this world, you will be missed BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN!

Liz

Frankie Manning May 26th ,1917-April 27th, 2009

I am very very sad to report that a man I look up and honoured as the founder of Lindy Hop has died today :( He was 94, just shy of his 95th birthday.

I was lucky enough to have met Frankie twice! the last being in houston in March. He will be missed by everyone in the swing commmunity.

Thank you Frankie for being such an inspiration to thousands of us swing dancers across the globe!

NY Daily News Article:

Frankie Manning, the legendary city dancer who helped create the Lindy Hop in the 1930s, died early this morning of complications from pneumonia.
He was a month away from his 95th birthday, for which friends had been planning a party and tribute.
Manning, who was hospitalized 10 days ago, had been suffering physical problems since he took a fall last year.
Until then, he had remained an active dancer and had told friends he was looking forward to dancing at next month's party. There was no immediate announcement this morning on whether FrankieFest ‘95, scheduled for May 21-25 with dancing competitions, music and instruction, will continue as a memorial tribute.
Manning and his partner Fredi Washington are credited with developing the Lindy Hop's first "aerial" step in a 1935 competition at the Savoy Ballroom.
He then became the choreographer for the famous troupe Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
He toured the world in recent years, teaching and encouraging an international revival of swing dance. He also became one of the great characters of New York's dance world.
At his annual birthday bashes, he was known for insisting on dancing with as many women as his age.

If you are EVER in Toronto-Cadillac Lounge you must check out

Alone with Lindy Hop, and Big Band my other love is Rockabilly Music. LOVE it! Love the culture, love the clothes and the guys are yummy in the James Dean bad boy way :)

I am lucky living in such an awesome city like Toronto because I am never too far from great places to get my Lindy fix and also my Rockabilly fix.

Now you may ask, where that might be in Toronto? Well let me tell you...The Cadillac Lounge on hopping Queen Street West.

With the pink Cadillac on the front of the building, you know you are about to enter a bar that is a bit different from the rest. Leopard print can be seen on seat cushions, old hubcaps, vintage posters deck the walls and you are sure to see also sideburns, red lipstick and at least ONE Elvis at some point in your night.

On a regular basis they cater to Rockabilly music, but if it is night that is not, that you can escape to the biggest heated outdoor patio in the back. it is HUGE and I have spent a many of a night drinking Amsterdam beers and eating there very yummy nachos.

In fact last July 1st, my now boyfriend (not my boyfriend at the time) went to the Caddy at around 2:00 and did not leave till 2AM. Our friends rotated in and out and we just got drunker and drunker on the patio. That is the night that my boyfriend finally gave into his commitment issues and said he wanted to be my boyfriend (we have been going strong every since).

So the caddy has some great memories for me and I am sure some memories to come. In fact I am holding my birthday brunch their a week today. Can't wait!

Dita Von Teese makes vintage line for Wonderbra!

This news is super exciting to a vintage girl like myself. My favorite Burlesque Star "Dita Von Teese" has just announced that she has designed a vintage line for Wonderbra! Very Very exciting. Apparently it is supposed to Drop in September and is for a limited time only.

I know I will be hooking myself up with the line. I think my boyfriend will approve ;)

Here are some first pics of the line. Enjoy! :)

Not really Lindy Hop on DWTS last night

So I spent a full week SUPER excited about seeing Lindy Hop on Dancing with the Stars. I told all my friends to watch it, I cancelled my plans for the evening to sit down and watch 2 hours of pure fun.

What did I get??

Well I did get fun. Don't get me wrong, the night was great. The dancing was fun, the music was good and I did not regret the 2 hours I sat there.

Was it Lindy?

Not really. Not true, every day dancing Lindy.

I should of known when the head judge of Dancing with the Stars Len tells everyone that "lindy hop is a fast paced dance, done with lots of flicks, kicks and danced to Rock and Roll". Ummm that is the defination of the "Jive" Len NOT Lindy Hop. Great :P

Off we go....First routine is pretty good. Big on the aerials and low on the dancing (a theme we see all night). BUT this first couple actually does their research and go to a real Lindy dance and The attached Link takes you to the Dance Jam that was on dancing with the Stars (part of).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD-TLn9Lr2A

The rest were pretty much the same as the one before. The couple I did enjoy was Ty and Chelsea. That was a fun Lindy. Chelsea even did some swivels AND a couple of swing outs (basic Lindy moves, that should of been seen more last night). That made me excited.

So overall the evening was not a disappoitment just a bit of a let down. But I am happy that the name "lindy hop" is out to millions of people and maybe it will encourage more people to hit the dance floor.

Lindy Hop on Dancing with The Stars..Next Monday (30th)

This makes me super duper duper duper excited :) Dancing with the stars has made Lindy hop one of the styles that the stars have to learn. This is going to be either really cool or really bad to watch. hahahaha

Either way it will be great to see the dance style, I love showcased to millions of people.

So as a "what should this really look like???". I have attached a link to a Emily and Kevin video, (one of the best Lindy hoppers today), showing you what to expect.

Enjoy and remember to watch DWTS @ 8:00 on the 30th.

Liz :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvFFZtbzdBE&feature=related

Bettie Page Clothing

I just have to rave about my 2 finds when I was in Las Vegas this past January.....

My Bettie Page Dresses

I was in Planet Hollywood and shopping when I stumbled upon the store by accident. I had ZERO clue it was there. I nearly started to cry because for the longest time I have been forced to buy all my vintage inspired dresses online and living in Canada, that makes it VERY expensive.

I know I know what you are thinking....Little over dramatic are we?? hahaha. Well maybe I did not cry but I was very very excited :)

So off I go in the store filled with beautiful dresses, skirts, tops, shoes, lingere, posters, jewellery etc. etc. etc. and begin to fill my dressing room with tons of items. I am amazed as I am trying on the dresses how well they fit. Every piece fits like a glove and I am finding myself wishing that I had hit it big on that slot machine I just played :)

Finally I pick 2 pieces...uggh just 2??? LOL and pay. I then walk out of the store with a HUGE smile on my face and excitment on where I can wear my new dresses.

If you get a chance visit the actual store. The girls that worked there were so nice and friendly and honest when it came to the clothes and how they looked on me. If no chance of getting to Vegas shop online, trust me you will be THRILLED by the clothes.

I know I was and I am counting the minutes till I get to go back.

Enjoy and happy shopping!

http://www.bettiepageclothing.com/

Liz :)

Frankie Manning-The original Lindy Hopper

First off...sorry for taking so long to get back to writing. Life kind of took over there. Anyways back at it I am :)

Today I want to briefly mention an amazing man and contributer to the Swing dancing/Lindy Hopping scene. His name is Frankie Manning and in celebration of his 95th birthday coming up I wanted to mention him in this blog to people who have may never of heard of him.

In the past year I have been able to meet Frankie twice. Last year in Toronto and just this past weekend in Houston at LindyFest. For a swing dancer it is like meeting...Bono or Madonna or the Pope! He means that much to us.

Who is Frankie? (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Early years

Manning was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He frequented Harlem's Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s, eventually becoming a dancer in the elite and prestigious "Cat's Corner", a corner of the dance floor in which impromptu exhibitions and competitions took place. During a dance contest in 1935, Manning and his partner Frieda Washington performed the first air step (often referred to as an aerial) in a swing dance competition against George "Shorty" Snowden and his partner Big Bea, at the Savoy Ballroom. The air step he performed was a "back to back roll" and was danced while Chick Webb played "Down South Camp Meeting", which was Manning's request after having heard the song earlier in the evening. The airstep went flawlessly to the music and astonished over 2,000 audience members watching.

Career

In 1935, Herbert White organized the top Savoy Ballroom Dancers into a professional performance group which was eventually named Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. Manning created the troupe's first ensemble Lindy Hop routines and functioned as the group's de facto choreographer, although without that title. The troupe toured extensively and made several films. Whitey's Lindy Hoppers became disbanded around the time of WWII since many of the male members were drafted. After the war in 1947, Manning created a small performance group called the Congaroos. When the Congaroos disbanded in 1955, Manning settled into a career with the United States Postal Service.

The Lindy Hop

The Lindy Hop is popularly thought to get its name from famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, nicknamed "Lucky Lindy" in 1926.[1] After Lindberg's solo non-stop flight from New York to Paris in which he "hopped" the Atlantic in 1927, Shorty George Snowden was dancing in a marathon contest at the Manhattan Casino in Harlem when a reporter asked him what dance he was doing. The headlines in the newspapers had stated "Lindy hops the Atlantic", so he told the reporter, "I'm doing the Lindy Hop" in 1928, giving Lindy Hop its official name.[2]
In 1982, Al Minns, a former member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, started to teach Lindy Hop at the Sandra Cameron Dance Center where he introduced a new generation of dancers to the Lindy Hop. Before he died in 1985, he told his students that Manning, another surviving member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, also lived in New York City. In 1986, Erin Stevens and Steven Mitchell contacted Manning to ask him to teach them the Lindy Hop. He first said no before agreeing to meet with them. The two returned to California and helped spread the dance to the west coast as well as other areas in the U.S. That same year, Lennart Westerlund contacted Manning and invited him to Sweden to work with The Rhythm Hot Shots. Manning traveled to Sweden in 1987 and has returned to Sweden every year since 1989 to teach at the Herräng Dance Camp.

Recent years

In recent years, Manning's annual birthday celebrations have drawn together dancers and instructors from all over the world. His 80th birthday (1994) was commemorated by a weekend-long celebration in New York City; his 85th culminated in a sold out party at New York's Roseland Ballroom, where a pair of his dance shoes were placed in a showcase along with those of dancers such as Fred Astaire. For his 86th birthday, a huge gala was feted in Tokyo in his honor, which included workshops taught by the maestro himself. The climax of the festivities featured a live orchestra. Manning drew a huge crowd of Japanese and foreign expatriate swing enthusiasts for this memorable occasion. Dedicated cruises were organized for his 89th and 90th birthdays. For his birthday dances, he followed his custom of dancing with one woman for every year of his life, partnering 89 and 90 women in succession, respectively.
Manning received the Tony Award for co-choreography of the Broadway musical Black and Blue. In 2000, he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship.[3]
Manning 's autobiography, Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, published in May 2007 contains a collection of stories about the early days of swing dancing and his experiences dancing with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. The book continues to recount his experiences up through the revival of swing dancing in the 1980s.[2]

You also need to see video of him in one of his most famous movies "Hellzapoppin". It is amazing that people can move that fast or do the stunts they do. Amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTg5V2oA_hY

I think this man is amazing and I am very glad that he is still around to inspire present and future dancers.