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Frankie Manning

Documentary: The Call Of The Jitterbug

08.01.2012 by Chris

YouTube is full of surprises. Again and again you can discover new clips and documentaries about Swing dancing.

Yesterday, I've found (via Facebook) a documentary from 1988 about Lindy Hop, uploaded by «sabinoson».

The Call Of The Jitterbug

A film by Jesper Sorensen, Vibeke Winding and Tana Ross.

Edited by Rachel Reichman.

Featured among others are Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, George Lloyd and Mama Lu Parks.

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Filed Under: History/Culture, Personalities Tagged With: Call Of The Jitterbug, Documentary, Frankie Manning, George Lloyd, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Mama Lu Parks, Norma Miller

The Savoy King – Feature Documentary Is Finished!

25.08.2011 by Chris

As announced today on the Facebook Page, “THE SAVOY KING: Chick Webb and the Music That Changed America” is finally finished!

THE SAVOY KING is a feature documentary about the Swing-era drummer-bandleader Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harlem's Savoy Ballroom.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this documentary!

CLIP: «Ella Fitzgerald Vignette»

This is a clip from the new feature film.
Interviews with Norma Miller, Frankie Manning and Van Alexander, among others!

  • Produced by Jeff Kaufman of Floating World Pictures
  • Edited by Jamal El-Amin
  • Graphics Wizard: Patrick Connelly
  • Post-production Supervisor: Alita Renée Holly

Link: Website The Savoy King

Related Posts:

  • The Savoy King – Feature Documentary in Post-Production
  • Swing! The Documentary

Filed Under: Swing News Tagged With: Chick Webb, Clips, Documentary, Ella Fitzgerald, Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Savoy Ballroom, Video

Happy Birthday, Frankie Manning!

26.05.2011 by Chris

Today, Frankie Manning – the Ambassdor of Lindy Hop – would have turned 97.

Happy Birthday, Frankie ManningHappy Birthday Frankie, we all miss you!


Are you new to this blog? Then I would like to welcome you and take the chance to spotlight the posts about Frankie Manning I have published so far.

One year ago I was running a Frankie Manning week and published five posts in a row, here they are:

24 May 2010: DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week #12: Shiny Stockings
One of Frankie Manning's favourite swing songs. Written by Frank Foster, performed by Count Basie Orchestra.

25 May 2010: Clayzapoppin vs. Hellzapoppin
A rendition to THE lindy hop dance scene, rebuilt in clay…

26 May 2010: Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging (Documentary)
This is by the way one of the most successful posts on Shuffle Projects and it was shared on Facebook as often as no other post. Watch this documentary and you know why.

27 May 2010: Biographie Frankie «Muscelehead» Manning – in German
There are many biographies about Frankie Manning on the web, but not in German. Reason enough to write one. If you are looking for one in English: check out FrankieManning.com

28 May 2010: Frankie Manning «The King Of Swing»: Article on FLYP
The King of Swing featured in a beautifully designed online magazine.

Just recently, this post went online:

27 April 2011: Tribute to Frankie Manning (Video)
Tribute Video, almost eleven minutes, produced by Swing Bud Films.

Literature Tip

If you don't know anything about Frankie Manning, then you should read his biography «Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop«, available at Amazon.com or Amazon.de (for Germany, Switzerland and Austria).






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Filed Under: History/Culture, Personalities Tagged With: Ambassador of Swing, Frankie Manning, Lindy Hop

Tribute to Frankie Manning (Video)

27.04.2011 by Chris

Two years ago today, Frankie Manning passed away. For all of us, who had the opportunity to meet and learn from Frankie, it bears repeating how inspiring he was. It's our task to spread Frankie's love for Lindy Hop and for any people!

Here is another video clip I haven't shared with you so far:



Related posts:
Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging (Documentary)
Frankie Manning “The King Of Swing”: Article on FLYP
Hellzapoppin, Then and Now
Clayzapoppin vs. Hellzapoppin
Biographie Frankie «Musclehead» Manning – in German

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Filed Under: History/Culture, Personalities Tagged With: Frankie Manning, Lindy Hop, Video

Dancing The Big Apple 1937 – DVD Review

14.08.2010 by Chris

In 1937, the U.S. were struggling to recover from the Great Depression when in August the country went into a new recession.

In the same month The Big Apple dance craze took off and almost everybody got infected by the virus.

Judy Pritchett did a lot of research about The Big Apple and made a DVD called «Dancing The Big Apple 1937«, which she presented this summer in Herräng.

As the narrator of the documentary, Judy tells us the story about that phenomenon back in the late 30s, where it started, how it evolved and especially interesting, where the roots are, namely in the African culture and in the (religious) ring shouts.

The documentary is sprinkled with a lot of pictures, footages and news paper extracts.

Trailer

The DVD «Dancing The Big Apple 1937» consists of three parts:

  1. History: 30 minutes documentary
  2. Instruction: Lance Benishek is demonstrating steps from the popular Big Apple, followed by a Big Apple Contest for students with called steps
  3. Choreography: The famous Big Apple choreography by Frankie Manning from «Keep Punching» featuring Whiteys Lindy Hoppers

My Rating

I'm a big fan of documentaries anyway. I highly recommend the DVD to everybody who is interested in the Afroamerican Vernacular Jazz Dance history and culture.

We all know the Big Apple choreography by Frankie Manning, but originally it was not a choreographed dance.

Judy – who's voice is very pleasant to listen to – gives us a lot of valuable insights about the origins.

Maybe one critic point: the structure of the documentary may sometimes be a little bit confusing. Nevertheless, buy the DVD today!

Film Festival

By the way, the documentary is invited to the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema in Boulder, Colorado (Friday & Saturday, September 10 & 11, 2010). Congratulations from Shuffle Projects!

DVD Details

Title: Dancing The Big Apple 1937 – African Americans Inspire a National Craze
Author: Judy Pritchett
Production: Dancetime Publications in association with SavoyStyle
Year: 2009

Related Posts:

  • Lerne die Big Apple Routine Online / Learn The Big Apple Routine Online (German)

Filed Under: Dance, History/Culture Tagged With: Big Apple, DVD review, Frankie Manning, Judy Pritchett

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Welcome, I'm Christian Bossert. Since 1999, I‘ve been passionate about Swing dances as well as their culture and history. I‘m a Swing dance instructor and international Swing DJ Chrisbe, based in Zurich Switzerland. Read More…

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