Part I
Early History: 1800 - 1945

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Table of Contents

African Roots
African American Dance 1800-1925
     Cakewalk
     Charleston
     Black Bottom
Lindy Hop's First Generation: 1925-1935
     The Savoy Ballroom
     "Twistmouth" George Ganaway & Edith Matthews
     Leroy "Stretch" Jones & Little Bea
     "Shorty" George Snowden & Big Bea
     The Dance Style Acquires a Name
Lindy Hop's Golden Era: 1935-1945
     Passing the Torch
     Frankie "Musclehead" Manning
     Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
     Lindy Hop Goes to the Movies!
     ...And Around the World!
     Dean Collins
     Jewel McGowan
     The Golden Era Draws to a Close
     Up Next: Decline and Remission 1945-1983


African Roots
African culture, imported to America during the days of slavery, brought with it a rich history of dance in a style that was unfamiliar to caucasian plantation owners. Social dancing in Europe was performed with a stiff upright posture, coupled arm-in-arm or embraced face to face. Movement was limited to the legs and feet being directed in a manner that was often stilted and contrived. This form of dance stood in stark contrast to the movement inherent to African tribal dancing.

Video:    Early European Dance

• Movement of the entire body.



• Angular bending of the arms, legs, and torso.



• Shoulder and hip movement, scuffing, stamping, and hopping.



• Asymmetrical fluid movement.



• An orientation into the earth [as opposed to on top of a dance floor].



• A free spirit of improvisation.



• Pantomime.

Video:    African Tribal Dance

Regarding the characteristic described as "an orientation into the earth," this Congolese proverb is often cited:

As African culture evolved into African American culture, the characteristics of African dance evolved into African American dance styles. One of the earliest examples of this evolution incorporated the art of pantomime. Specifically, pantomime in the form of a parody of white folk going about their daily business.



African American Dance: 1850 - 1925
In the mid 1800s, African American slaves in Florida combined their dance style with a coupled dance performed by native Seminole Indians. This dance, known as the Chalk Line Walk, was the origin for what later became known as the Cakewalk.

Cakewalk

Video A       Video B

The Cakewalk involved a promenade where walkers would dance along a straight line in an exaggerated parody (or pantomime) of the white upper class and their distinctive caucasian mannerisms. This dance would often be performed as a competition where the winner would receive a cake, hence the name Cakewalk. By the 1890s, the Cakewalk was one of America's most popular dance styles with competitions, shows, plays, and sheet music written exclusively for its performance.

The Cakewalk may have been the first American dance to cross over from black to white society. While its popularity died out between 1915 and the early 1920s, it was soon replaced by other African American dance styles that included the Charleston and Black Bottom.

Charleston

Video A       Video B       Video C

The Charleston originated with African Americans living on a small island near Charleston, South Carolina. Some reports trace its origin back to the Cape Verde Islands of West Africa. The Charleston, as it's known today, was performed as early as 1903 and made its way to Harlem stage productions by 1913.

In 1922-'23 the Ziegfeld Follies staged a dance that featured the Charleston. Other plays and shows that featured this new dance craze included: the stage play Liza, the Broadway show Runnin Wild, and another titled Shuffle Along. The Charleston was the defining dance of the Roaring Twenties and a key element in the early evolution of swing dance. As the 1920's drew to and end, so did the popularity of the Charleston. As the Charleston faded, a new dance was growing in popularity; that dance was the Black Bottom.

Black Bottom

Video A       Video B       Video C

The Black Bottom is said to have originated in New Orleans in the early 1900s. This was a lively dance that could be performed by a solo dancer or a dance couple. In its solo form, the Black Bottom resembled, and was indeed one of the origins (if not the origin) of modern Tap and Jazz dancing. Drawing on African dance characteristics, this dance involved "...slapping the backside while hopping forward and backward, stamping the feet and gyrations of the torso (pelvis) while making arm movements to music with an occasional Heel-Toe Scoop which was considered to be very erotic in those days." [www.streetswing.com]

The Black Bottom was introduced to white America in 1919 through sheet music that included instructions on how to perform the dance. The song, written by Perry Bradford of Nashville, Tennessee, was titled The Black Bottom Dance. In 1924, the stage play Dinah introduced the Black Bottom to yet another wide audience. By 1926 this dance style replaced the Charleston as the popular dance of the day. Like the Charleston, the Black Bottom was a major influence on what was to later become Lindy Hop swing dancing.



Lindy Hop's First Generation: 1925 to 1935
In 1925 the stage was set, and a new dance style began to emerge. By that time, the blending of African and European dance had been simmering for over 75 years. The natural freeform style of African dance adopted the European notion of partnered or coupled dancing. The Ragtime Jazz and other popular music of the day delivered rhythms and tempos tailor made for the fast footwork and kick outs of the Charleston, and the Jazz/Tap patterns of the Black Bottom. In early competitions, efforts to out shine one another on the dance floor led these coupled dancers to break-away and perform their fancy steps in the early Jazz/Tap tradition. While it is not known exactly who it was that performed that first break-away, we do know that whoever it was, gave birth to modern swing dancing.

The Savoy Ballroom

On March 12, 1926, the doors opened on what was to become the "mother church of swing dance," the Savoy Ballroom. Billed as "The World's Finest Ballroom," it was located at 596 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, NYC. The dance floor was 200 feet long and 50 feet wide. There were two bandstands and a retractable stage. It was the most popular dance venue in Harlem at a time when all of Harlem danced. Much has been written (and readily available online) about the Savoy Ballroom and its role in swing dance history. Suffice it to say that in terms of both musicians and dancers, the Savoy Ballroom was witness to all the great talents of early Jazz and Swing. Over the years bandleaders such as Chick Webb, Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Duke Ellington would trade sets from opposite bandstands in the Savoy's well known "Battle of the Bands." And while the bands battled, the dancers competed to out-shine one another with their newly developed break-away dance steps. These dancers were the first generation swing dancers, performing a new style of dance that was yet to be named.

Video:    Inside The Savoy Ballroom

• "Twistmouth" George Ganaway and Edith Matthews
• Leroy "Stretch" Jones and Little Bea
• "Shorty" George Snowden and Big Bea

"Twistmouth" George Ganaway & Edith Matthews

Twistmouth George was one of the great dancers and innovators from the earliest days of the Savoy Ballroom. An early rival of Shorty George, Twistmouth soon went on to become a professional solo dancer and did not frequent the Savoy during the 1930s. Twistmouth George and his partner Edith are credited with at least one lasting element of Lindy Hop: the twist or swivel styling step performed by the follow on the one-two count of the basic Lindy Hop swing out. Twistmouth's other claim to fame is the time he grabbed Norma Miller (14 at the time) from the sidewalk outside the Savoy, partnered with her for the evening's grand Lindy Hop performance, and brought the house down with what was a clever twist for this weekly event. Norma Miller, who went on to become a member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, tells this story in her autobiography Swingin at the Savoy.



In 1996 Norma Miller published her book titled "Swingin' at The Savoy, The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer." The books description, re-printed here from Amazon.com, reads:

Dancer, award-winning choreographer, show producer, stand-up comedienne, TV/film actress and author, Norma Miller shares her touching historical memoir of Harlem's legendary Savoy Ballroom and the phenomenal music and dance craze that "spread the power of Swing across the world like Wildfire."

It was a time when the music was Swing, and Harlem was king. Renowned as 'the world's most beautiful ballroom" and the largest, most elegant in Harlem, the Savoy was the only ballroom not segregated when it opened in 1926. The Savoy hosted the best bands and attracted the best dancers by offering the challenge of fierce competition. White people traveled uptown to learn exciting new dance styles. A dance contest winner by fourteen, Norma Miller became a member of Herbert White's world-famous Lindy Hoppers and a celebrated Savoy Ballroom Lindy Hop champion.

Swingin' at the Savoy chronicles a significant period in American cultural history and race relations, as it glorifies the popularized home of the Lindy Hop, and the birthplace of such memorable dance fads as the Big Apple, Shag, Truckin', Peckin', Susie Q, Charleston, Peabody, Black Bottom, Cake Walk, Boogie Woogie, Shimmy, and tap dancing.

Miller shares fascinating anecdotes about her youthful encounters with many of the greatest jazz legends in music history including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters, and even boxer Joe Louis.

Leroy "Stretch" Jones & Little Bea

Stretch Jones was another popular dancer from the early days of the Savoy. Known for his grace and flashy movements, Stretch was six feet tall while his partner Little Bea stood no taller than five feet. Together they formed an interesting juxtaposition to Shorty George and Big Bea whose respective statures were totally reversed. Around 1935, Stretch chose to leave the Savoy and join the Shorty Snowden Dancers at the Paradise Ballroom where the Paul Whiteman Orchestra was playing for white dancers. While no specific element of Lindy Hop has been attributed to Stretch Jones, his influence was undeniable. Frankie Manning, who will later play a major role in the history of Lindy Hop, idolized Stretch and regarded him and his partner Little Bea as the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of Lindy Hop.

"Shorty" George Snowden & Big Bea

Of the three first generation lindy hoppers, the most noted, and certainly most written about, was Shorty George Snowden. Shorty George was the top dancer at the Savoy from its opening in 1926 to the early 1930s. Barely five feet tall, he was recognized as a comic dance genius. When paired with his most well known partner Big Bea (who towered over him), what resulted were dance steps and patterns that were both wildly entertaining and technically brilliant. While some accounts credit Shorty George with introducing the first break-away pattern, he is most remembered for two things: his signature move, aptly named the Shorty George and giving Lindy Hop its name.

The Shorty George dance step was a self parody of his already very short stature. This step involved forward motion with acutely bent knees swinging from side to side. This move, or one very similar, is said to have been originally done under the name boogie walks and the Baltimore buzz.

Video:    Shorty George with Pauline Morse as couple #3
Video:    Shorty George and Big Bea

Video:    Charles Lindberg's Flight

The point here is that the term Lindbergh Hop was likely already a part of popular culture prior to the very specific date and time Shorty George is said to have, by some accounts, spontaneously named this new dance style Lindy Hop. In fact, some reports have it that among dance circles the term Lindbergh Hop was being used to describe the Savoy dance style months, perhaps a year before his mention of it to an inquiring reporter. With that said, what follows is a distilled account of how Lindy Hop acquired its name:

The place and time was (pick one, several different accounts have been reported),

• One evening following Lindbergh's flight to Paris.
• September 1927 at a dance contest in Central Park.
• 1928 at a dance marathon at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.
• June 17, 1928 at the Manhattan Casino Ballroom in New York during a dance marathon.

The circumstances were that a news reporter, unfamiliar with this new dance style, went up to Shorty George, the declared winner in the Central Park version of the story, and asked what it was they were doing. Shorty George then thought for a moment, and replied,

"The Lindy Hop, we're flying just like Lindy did!"

"I'm doin' the Hop, the Lindy Hop!"

The "one evening following Lindbergh's flight" version claims his inspiration came from a newspaper headline that happened to be laying nearby.

Regardless of who it was that initially used the term Lindy Hop or when it was used, Shorty George will forever be recognized as the individual that mentioned it to the reporter, who then went on to make the name stick. Perhaps the final word on this matter should be left to Frankie Manning himself who on this subject is quoted as saying,

All I can say is that I heard the story from Shorty George himself. The other fellas from that time were standing around listening and they didn't say 'Aw, come on Shorty, quit the BS,' which they would have said if it wasn't true.

So ends the first generation of Lindy Hop and the dancers that gave it its original style and name. Throughout the 1930s, a new generation of lindy hoppers emerged. This second generation would go on to introduce Lindy Hop to a worldwide audience during the Golden Era of Lindy Hop Swing.



Lindy Hop's Golden Era: 1935 - 1945
Lindy Hop's first generation created a fertile environment for the second wave of dancers who were likewise eager to grow and innovate the dance. As Jazz and Swing music evolved, so did the dance styles. Lindy Hop in terms of swing, but also various forms of Jazz and Tap dancing. The following excerpt from the February, 1936 issue of Esquire Magazine, mentions this interesting mix of styles:

All Harlem dances. Here, in the heart of New York, between the Bronx and Central Park, wriggling black America disports itself nightly to the Lindy Hop, the Shim Sham Shimmy, or to Truckin', its latest dance creation.

In a score of tiny nightclubs, in low-ceilinged cabarets, shot with amber and dull red lights, couples twist, wriggle and tap to Harlem's high priestess, the dance.

Gone are the days of the Charleston, the Heebie Jeebies, made famous by Louis Armstrong, and a score of lesser stomps. For those possessed of indefatigable constitutions it's the Lindy Hop; for the tap-conscious the Shim Sham Shimmy, shortened by Harlemites to the Sham, and for everyone inclined to shuffle it's Truckin'.

. . .  E.S. Campbell

Returning to Lindy Hop, one event could be described as the dawn of the Golden Age. It involved two principal figures: Shorty George Snowden of the first generation, and a young man by the name of Frankie "Musclehead" Manning. It happened during a dance competition at the Savoy Ballroom, by most accounts in 1935. It marked the beginning of a new Lindy Hop era.

Passing the Torch

NOTE: The quoted portions of this segment are taken from an uncut transcript of an interview with Frankie Manning. The interview comes from Season 4 (1997/98), Show 11, of the City Arts program produced by Thirteen/WNET New York.

In the early 1930s, Lindy Hop competition abounded at the Savoy Ballroom. By this time many of the younger dancers were beginning to seriously challenge the older dancers of the first generation. For a long time Shorty George was recognized as the top dancer at the Savoy. Frankie Manning, 10 years younger, was a fast rising star.

One of the signature comedic closing moves used by Shorty George and Big Bea involved Bea locking arms, back to back, with Shorty and carrying him off the dance floor as he wildly kicked his feet. While in this case it was purely for comedic purposes, the young Frankie Manning knew that in some dance styles, lifts were a part of the main form of the dance.

Ballroom dancers had incorporated lifts into their dance for many years. However, in the Ballroom style, lifts were limited to gently lifting the follow up and softly placing her down in a manner akin to Ballet. What if you were to incorporate such a move into the Lindy Hop style? In Frankie Manning's own words,

So, I saw this and told my partner, Freda, I said, 'I got an idea for a step!' I mentioned this step that Big B did with Shorty, [where] she takes Shorty up on her back. She said, 'Yeah, I know that step, but I ain't gonna be taking you up on my back.' I said, 'No, I want to make a step out of it. I want you to flip over my back.' So, she and I practiced for about two weeks every single day.

Video:    Dance clips and brief interview
that mentions the first air step.

That same year, Shorty George and Big Bea appeared in an Eddie Cantor film and in other respects remained busy traveling with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and performing at places like the Cotton Club and Small's Paradise. By this time, Twistmouth George was well into his solo career and Stretch Jones was concentrating on his work with Shorty George. As the new generation of lindy hoppers began to take hold, the first generation was moving on with their own individual dance and professional pursuits.

The introduction of air steps continued to fuel the Lindy Hop fire. The northeast corner of the Savoy Ballroom was regarded as the Cat's Corner where the best dancers congregated to trade moves and steps. Some were fortunate enough to be members of the 400 Club which allowed them to come to the Savoy during daytime hours to practice alongside some of the best Jazz and Swing bands ever assembled. At that point in Lindy Hop history, the number of known great Savoy lindy hoppers stands at about thirty. While too many to profile in this brief account, their names are listed below:

• Louise "Pal" Andrews
• Tiny Bunch
• Eunice Callen
• Wilda Crawford
• Mildred Cruse
• Joe "Big Stupe" Daniels
• Joyce "Little Stupe" Daniels
• Eddie Davis
• William Downes
• Elnora Dyson
• George Greenidge
• Connie Hill
• Leon James
• Ann Johnson
• Dorothy "Dot" Johnson
• Frances "Mickey" Jones
• Thomas "Tops" Lee
• Maggie McMillan
• Frankie Manning
• Lucille Middleton
• Norma Miller
• Al Minns
• Mildred Pollard
• Billy Ricker
• Willa Mae Ricker
• Stumpy
• Naomi Waller
• Ester Washington
• Freida Washington
• Jerome Williams
• Russell Williams

But of these many talented dancers, the one star that shines above all others, is Frankie "Musclehead" Manning.

Frankie "Musclehead" Manning

Frankie Manning was born May 26, 1914 in Jacksonville, Florida. At age three he moved to Harlem with his mother who was also a dancer. Frankie likes to joke that he has been dancing at least nine months longer than he has been alive, with those first nine months being inside his dancing mother's womb. He began dancing in his early teens at the Alhambra Ballroom on Sunday afternoons. During his middle teen years, he moved up to the Renaissance Ballroom to attend early evening dances. Finally, in his later teens he graduated to the famed Savoy Ballroom. At age 18, this would have been 1932 when the first generation lindy hoppers were in their heyday.

Both a gifted dancer and serious competitor, Frankie was a standout in the Cat's Corner and frequently won Saturday night dance competitions. As a member of the 400 Club, he was also allowed to practice in the club during daytime hours. There he developed his own unique style that included flat backin his posture to a near horizontal position while performing fast tempo dance steps influenced by the Charleston. Judy Pritchett wrote in The Archives of Early Lindy Hop:

Frank Manning's dancing stood out, even among the greats of the Savoy Ballroom, for its unerring musicality. Fast on his feet and with a keen ear, Frankie gave physical expression to the beat, the feel and the excitement of the swing sound played by the great Big Bands.

Like the Savoy Ballroom, Shorty George Snowden and Lindy Hop itself, much has been written and is readily available online concerning Frankie Manning and his past and present role as the great Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Yes, he is still very much alive and dancing. As you read further in this account of Lindy Hop history, you will learn more about his many contributions to Lindy Hop Swing.

Video:    Frankie Manning in Bib Overalls with Ann Johnson
The last (fourth) couple up in this performance.
From the movie "Hellzapoppin" 1941

Video:    Frankie Manning performing the Lindy style Charleston

Video:    Frankie Manning interviewed at age 81
Note: This clip is tagged 1997, Frankie would have turned 83 in May '97.
The clip is mis-identified or Frankie mis-spoke regarding his age.

Video:    Frankie Manning interviewed at age 90

In May 2007 the biography "Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop" was released. Publisher's Weekly had this to say about the book that chronicles the life of Lindy Hop's grand gentleman:

Frankie Manning spread swing dancing's popularity throughout the world while touring with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers in the 1930s and '40s. Dance writer and swing dancer Millman conducted extensive interviews with Manning for a vivid account of his career. Manning became a star in Harlem's popular Savoy Ballroom with his unique style, including dancing at a sharp angle to the ground like a track runner, speed and musicality. In a dance competition, Manning astonished the crowd with the first-ever Lindy aerial, or air step (where the man sends his partner flying). Later Manning toured with jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie, and performed in several films, including Everybody Sings with Judy Garland. After a long hiatus from dancing, he was a consultant for Spike Lee's Malcolm X and coached a new generation of dancers in the swing dance revival of the '80s and '90s. While the first-person accounts of Manning's life capture his vibrancy, humor and charm, the narrative is interrupted by short sections of historical notes; their formality is at odds with Manning's ease and charisma. Still, this vivid memoir by one of swing dancing's innovators and stars is a must for lovers of dance, jazz and African-American history.

36 b&w illustrations. (May 2007)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AUTOGRAPHED COPIES of this book can be ordered from:

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers

As you might expect, word soon got around about the hotshot dancers at the Savoy Ballroom. During this period the Savoy was well known as an integrated dance venue. This was at a time when other ballrooms and dance halls went to great lengths to separate the races. It has been reported that on a given night, as many as 15% of the dancers at the Savoy would be white. This undoubtedly helped the word get out about what was going on up in Harlem. Before long, "...requests came from downtown socialites and rich folk who wanted to have Lindy Hoppers perform at their lavish parties..." And there to answer their requests was a man by the name of Herbert "Whitey" White.

Herbert White was an African American man who acquired the nickname Whitey because of the streak of white in his hair. He was a former boxer and current bouncer at the Savoy. When Whitey heard about the invitations being extended to the young Savoy dancers, he recognized a business opportunity. Aside from being a capable bouncer and aspiring businessman, Whitey also had an eye for talent and a knack for mentoring young dancers. Judy Pritchett wrote in The Archives of Early Lindy Hop:

Whitey, who got to know the young dancers well, was able to hand pick exciting dancers who were also socially adept and reliable. They were invariably delighted to make a few dollars doing what they loved. A father figure to many of these dancers, Whitey would send them downtown to those fancy digs with the admonition, 'Remember, ain't nobody better than you.'

Video A       Video B       Video C       Video D

Lindy Hop Goes to the Movies!

Throughout the mid 1930s Whitey employed the top dancers (at one time more than 70), from the top ballroom in the country. Again, from Judy Pritchett's Archives of Early Lindy Hop:

By late 1936, Whitey's dancers had officially made the big time. His top dancers worked a 6 month gig at the famous Cotton Club under the name 'Whitey's Hopping Maniacs.' Meantime, Whitey pulled together a second group of top dancers to perform for the first time under the name 'Whitey's Lindy Hoppers' in their first major Hollywood film, the Marx Brother's zany A Day at the Races.

Over the years, Whitey's Lindy Hoppers appeared in a number of films, including,

• A Day at the Races - 1937
• Manhattan Merry-Go-Round - 1937
• Radio City Revels - 1938
• Big Apple, also known as Jittering Jitterbugs - 1938
• Keep Punchin' - 1939
• Hot Chocolates Cottontail - 1941
• Hellzapoppin' - 1941

. . . and Around the World!

Frankie Manning appeared in many of these films. When he wasn't filming, Frankie was in charge of the dancers at the Cotton Club and those who traveled overseas to Europe and Australia. Frankie served as chief choreographer for all of Whitey's dance groups. At one point, Whitey offered to name the Cotton Club dancers Manning's Lindy Hoppers, but Frankie declined that gesture. With Frankie in charge of the stage, club and international performing acts, Whitey remained on the movie sets in Hollywood.

When Whitey's dancers were not on the road performing, they always came home to the Savoy to shine in the famous Cat's Corner. By now dedicated professionals, they never forgot that they "...were always, first and foremost, social dancers and true jazz dance improvisers." Much like the great Jazz and Swing musicians of the day, they could perform tight choreographed routines for the stage, only to later let go, unencumbered, with improvised dance steps on the social dance floor.

Dean Collins

Another dancer, though not a member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, also figured prominently in the history of Lindy Hop (and West Coast Swing). Born Saul Cohen in Columbus, Ohio on May 29, 1917, he grew up in Newark, New Jersey where he began dancing with his older sisters at the age of 14. His biographer, Peter Loggins writes,

Along with many other young Jewish and Italian early teenagers, he was soon attracted by the dance styles coming out of Harlem, which inevitably propelled him on his way to the Savoy Ballroom.

• Lets Make Music - 1940 Choreographer
• Buck Privates - 1941
• Hellzapoppin - 1941
• Ride "Em Cowboy - 1942
• Springtime In The Rockies - 1942
• Chool Song - 1942
• The Powers Girl - 1943
• The Baby Boogie - 1943 or '44
• Ghost Catchers - 1944 Choreographer
• Junior Prom - 1945 Choreographer

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers introduced Hollywood to Lindy Hop, but they did so on a commuter basis, returning to Harlem and the Savoy when their filming and other performances were finished. Dean Collins laid down roots on the West Coast. There he shared what he knew about classic Savoy style Lindy Hop with local dancers who were already evolving their own unique swing style. They in turn, influenced Dean and his dancing. The coming together of these two styles resulted in what we now refer to as Hollywood or smooth style Lindy Hop. A style that can be described as slotted, low key, and very smooth, as opposed to the Savoy's wide open, high energy, air step intensive style. This contrasting smooth style of Lindy Hop is thought by many to be the original or prototype style for what would later be referred to as West Coast Swing.

Aside from giving Lindy Hop widespread exposure on the movie screen, one of Dean Collins' most significant contributions to the dance was developing methods for teaching Lindy Hop. Again, the words of his biographer:

Although few people were doing the Lindy Hop in Los Angeles before Dean arrived, it was Dean who brought the formula of the Lindy Hop from the Savoy Ballroom. Dean was without a doubt a technician of dance, who not only had the dance broken down into it's various patterns but was also able to teach it. At a time when Lindy Hop was a street dance and the only way to learn was through trial and error practice, Dean Collins was an influential pioneer in the field of Lindy Hop instruction which started in the 1930's. Mary Collins told me that Dean's love was really in teaching, he had hundreds of students across the country but his more famous students were Shirley Temple, Ronald Coleman, Cesar Romero, Abbot and Costello, Patti Andrews, Joan Crawford and yes, he gave private lessons to Arthur Murray!

Jewel McGowan

While much has been said about Dean Collins, it should be mentioned that for every dance lead there must be a follow. In Dean's case it was Jewel McGowan. A native of California, Jewel was a natural swing dancer and Dean Collins' dance partner throughout the 1940's, both on screen and during personal appearances. Jewel McGowan is thought by many to be the greatest female swing dancer that ever lived.

The Golden Era Draws to a Close

To bring things back into chronological perspective:

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers enjoyed continued success and held on through 1941. By that time, Whitey opened his own nightclub "The Savoy" in Oswego, New York.

1941 was also the year that the movies Hellzapoppin, Hot Chocolates Cottontail, and Buck Privates were released.

On December 1st, 1941, Whitey's Lindy Hoppers embarked on what would be their last overseas performance tour. On that day they boarded a ship to South America's Rio de Janeiro.

Six days into their tour, on Sunday, December 7th. 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered the Second World War. This world event marked the beginning of what would eventually break up the greatest Lindy Hop performance group ever assembled.

During the war years, Dean Collins and Jewel McGowan continued to promote swing dancing through performance, teaching, screen appearances, and competitions. Big Band Swing was the popular music of the day, and regional versions of swing dancing were cropping up all over the country.

The August 23, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine featured Lindy Hop as its cover story and declared it America's national dance.

A few former members of Whitey's lindy hoppers continued to perform during the early 1940's in various performance groups. One group, the Harlem Congaroos, was managed by Willa-Mae Ricker until Frankie Manning returned from the army.

In 1942, Frankie Manning (and several other Lindy Hoppers) were drafted into the US Army. Frankie did not return until 1947. When he returned, he discovered that popular music had taken a different direction and that the Golden Era of Lindy Hop Swing had passed.

Up Next: Decline and Remission: 1945-1983

Lindy Hop swing dancing began to lose its popularity toward the end of the war. Replaced by East Coast Swing, Jitterbug, Jive, Whip, Shag and Western (early West Coast) Swing, Lindy Hop was already being regarded as old fashion. This was, in large part, due to the evolution of popular music.

Into the 1960s and beyond, partnered dancing all but disappeared during the Funk, Rock and Pop-Rock music years.

Partnered dancing did not return to widespread popularity until the 1970's Disco boom. That too left traditional Lindy Hop Swing behind, as West Coast Swing grew and adapted to the contemporary non-swing rhythms of funk and soul music aimed at pop culture's solo dancers.

Lindy Hop Swing's period of decline and remission between 1942 and 1983 are discussed in more detail in the next page of this series on The History of Lindy Hop Swing Dancing.




Part II: Decline and Remission: 1945-1983