Frank Manning, affectionately known throughout the swing world as “Frankie,” one of the first of his kind, has become the foremost champion of the Lindy Hop. As a member and choreographer of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers—Savoy Ballroom’s elite troupe—he appeared in dozens of films, including the 1937 Marx Brothers’ comedy A Day At The Races, and has awed countless world audiences (including royalty!) ever since. To this day, his signature steps remain matchless. Frankie’s inspiration and accessibility define his importance as a swing guru. He travels extensively, teaching Lindy Hop around the world to both new and experienced dancers—spreading the seeds of a social dance created by kids in Harlem. Yet, despite his globetrotting and other exploits, Manning calls himself “just one of the gang.”

In 1998, Manning had an opening in his international schedule to make a stopover in Japan and teach a workshop. There was just one problem: Aside from husband-and-wife ballroom dance couple Hiroyuki and Azusa Yamada, there was no swing audience to be found in Tokyo. But the Yamadas cobbled
together spaces, promotions and housing arrangements anyway. Not surprisingly, Manning’s name alone attracted hundreds of dancers from the States, Europe and Southeast Asia, enticing local dancers to check out the workshop, too. A huge success, the swing star’s visit prompted the formation of the Tokyo Swing Dance Society, which numbers about 100 dancers today.

Manning relishes the opportunity to spread the Lindy Hop gospel, especially “at new places that only know my name so far,” he says. He adds, “If I go there and do a good job, I open it up for somebody else to come out and teach.” Most of his schedule is set a year in advance. “It’s almost every weekend that he’s away,” says Karen Goldstein, a member of the New York Swing Dance Society and Manning’s friend/teaching assistant. For five years, the two have worked together when he’s home, teaching private classes in New York City. “He’s away virtually the whole summer in Europe,” Goldstein says. “He does all the local trips anywhere in this country on long weekends, and sometimes back-to-back international trips.”

The private class he teaches in Manhattan was one of the groups most affected. “I’m spoiled because I get him once a week when he’s in New York,” says Manu Smith, a student in Manning’s private class and proprietor of the influential swing website Yehoodi.com. “And still, one week with him out has completely affected my dancing. Everybody wants Frankie at their workshops, but this injury is going to put a damper on Lindy Hoppers waiting to learn from him.” As we went to press in early May, the injury jeopardized Manning’s May 26th birthday celebration in Tokyo, Japan—a privilege Hiroyuki Yamada described as “an honor of Olympic proportions.” Last year, an estimated 4,300 dancers attended three separate U.S. celebrations of his 85th birthday before he headed to Europe for more foot-stomping fun.