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.
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.
