Frankie Manning: 1914-2009, Part 1
Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop
Dear readers and listeners:
After a bit of a hiatus, I am back to podcasting! That is the good news. The sad news is that an interview I conducted earlier this year with the legendary Frankie Manning turned out to be his last. Frankie Manning, known and loved all over the world as the “Ambassador of Lindy Hop” passed away just before his 95th birthday this year. I feel extremely fortunate to have had this conversation with him before he fell ill. As a longtime lindy hopper and dancer myself, his words and feelings resonated with me quite deeply, as I’m sure they will with you.
Swing dancer extraordinaire Frankie Manning was a leading dancer at Harlem’s legendary Savoy Ballroom where, in the mid-1930s, he revolutionized the course of the lindy hop with his innovations, including the lindy air step and synchronized ensemble lindy routine.
As a featured dancer and chief choreographer for the spectacular Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, he performed in numerous films including Hellzapoppin’, and entertained on stages around the world with jazz greats Ethel Waters, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cab Calloway.
Upon the demise of the Swing Era, Frankie took a job in the Post Office, where he worked for thirty years until his rediscovery by a new generation of swing dance enthusiasts in the mid-1980s. Since then, he’s been in constant demand and motion, teaching, choreographing, and performing globally. He won a 1989 Tony Award for his choreography in Black and Blue, and served as a consultant for and performed in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X. Frankie’s activities have been chronicled in hundreds of articles (including features in GQ and People) and dozens of news programs (including a profile on ABC’s 20/20).
Considered the world’s leading authority on the lindy, he is highlighted in Ken Burns’s acclaimed documentary, Jazz. His autobiography, Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, co-written by Cynthia R. Millman, was published by Temple University Press in spring 2007.
I hope you all will enjoy Frankie’s last interview. Below is part one of my conversation with him. To read more about this amazing man and his lifetime of achievement, visit his web site at http://www.frankiemanning.com.
My heart goes out to his family and I know I speak for many many people when I say, he will be missed.
Listen here:
Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop – Part 1
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Upcoming Guests
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One-on-One with Mark Stelzner of JobAngels.org
Mark Stelzner, founder of JobAngels.org
Dear readers: This week I spoke with Mark Stelzner, founder of JobAngels.org and Twitterer @jobangels. JobAngels is a young but fast-growing network of job seekers and what are known as job “angels”–people just like you and me who volunteer their time, advice, moral support or connections to help others find jobs. What started as a thought over breakfast one day has literally turned into a social networking boom, and underscores the power of social media to bring about real change in many lives.
Mark is also the founder of Inflexion Advisors, which brings fifteen years of experience in the implementation of internal and external HR transformational initiatives for public and private sector clientele worldwide. Over his career, Mark has brought over $3 billion of value to his clients and employers.
Prior to Inflexion, Mark co-founded and served as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for EquaTerra Public Sector, a leading sourcing advisory and consulting firm. Previously, Mark was Senior Director of Global Alliances and Channel Management for Convergys Employee Care. Mark’s prior experience includes Business Development Director positions at Workscape and Workstream/Kadiri as well as consulting to organizations such as Fannie Mae, WebMD and Biogen Idec. Mark also successfully co-founded a workforce effectiveness firm, whose platform was applied to Department of Energy labs, Federal contractors and strategic Department of Defense assets.
Mark is an active member of the HR community, having spoken at well over 100 industry conferences, events, user groups, forums and human resources professional organizations. He has also served as an invited speaker to a number of public assemblies, been cited in dozens of publications and is the primary author of the popular Inflexion Point blog, drawing over 100,000 readers per month.
I am so glad you all are joining me in this conversation with Mark. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed talking to him!
One-on-One With Mark Stelzner – February 17, 2009
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Conversations: Pamela One-on-One 