Frankie Manning

Jazz Biography

Frankie Manning

Frankie Manning was born at Jacksonville, Florida in 1914. At a young age he moved to Harlem along with his mother who was also a dancer. Frankie Manning began dancing at a young age and when he was in his early teens he danced at a Sunday afternoon dance at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem to the music of Vernon Andrade. Later he danced at the Rennaissance Ballroom that played swing dance by the Claude Hopkins Orchestra. As Manning became a little older he danced at the prestigious Savoy Ballroom and there he became a star in the "Kat's Korner" and won many dance contests. Soon after he was invited to be in the elite 400 club.

Manning's inspiration came from the first generation of the Lindy Hoppers. Frankie Manning was a part of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, one of the best competing teams in the Big Band era. In 1934, he became the main choreographer and created the first ensemble Lindy Hop routine and the aerial dance step ("airsteps"). In 1937, he performed along with Marx brothers in the film "A day at the Races". That same year Manning gave a performance for King George VI in London. Manning joined the army during World War II and in 1947, after his return he formed a dance troupe called "The Congaroos Dancers" that went on to tour with jazz greats Cab Calloway, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald.

When rock and roll came in during the 1950s, Frankie Manning settled down to family life and a career with the U.S. Postal service. In the 1980s, renewal interests in swing dance brought Manning out again to choreography and teach. Today he continues to travel and teach dance just recently he received the National heritage fellowship award in 2000