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Page Eight A - World of Dance Visions: More Swing Story Shorts
More Swing - Lindy Story Shorts

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Freddie James:
The unknown force in swing dance during the 1950s and 60s was Arthur Murray Dance Studios.  The leading factor which brought AM's dominace to the swing dance scene was two fold:
 
One:  It was the Vietnam War in which several young emerging dance personalities went, mostly to join up in the various military branches-essentailly to stand up for America.  Dick Clark, American Bandstand, leter lament this fact, as he became the first to  acknowledged this. Moreover, as the war got more of this group of American youth, it left a vacume on the social dance floor, and as result ushered in the era of disco-following the new dance craze of Lindy Hopper ( yes he is a " Lindy Hopper " ) Chubby Checkers Twist .
 
Two.  Freddie James appearance and emergance with  " his " Lindy Hop styles started to electrified the whole studio system of Arthur Murray Dance Studios, Inc.  Then came the money.
 
The interesting fascet about his styles, is that power and froce of his dance styles, from time to time he would split his pants. Everyone knew of this.  So during every given performance, his wife would bring aleast two more pants.  He almost earned the name " Splits " as a result.  The energy he employed and the movements he threw in were all dynamic and awsome, and kept alive some of the stuff which could have disappeared if it was not for his dedications to this American Folk Dance.
 
What may surprise the present " Lindy World " is that he was also responsiable for encouraging the Artisit and personal rescue of Frankie Manning, the behind the scene scoop of the present dance Lindy World. That perponents of Arthur Murray, and then later Fred Astaire Dance Studios in New Yrok City region had the availabe student base which further triggered and then supported this urgent artistic rescue-ever wonder were his first core of students came from, and those who supplied the initial capital..
 
April 14th, 2004
Swing and Lindy all the Time:
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Learn to Dance Online Learn to dance online: Swing, Jive, Salsa, Lindy Hop, Ceroc, Latin and Ballroom. Free lessons and dance moves online.

Legends: according to the Hollywood fan Magazines of the time.

Mickey Rooney, and Judy Garland was labeled as the Lindy King and Queen of America during the30s-40s. This was the final straw, and witnessed less and less black participation in the dance their culture created. Unfortunate too as they knew the dance coaches for both Mickey and Judy were black.

Iin places like Selma, Montgomery, Atlanta, and Macon, these are the roots. What happened is that Jim Crow created flight to the North, and cities like Chicago, St Louis, Cleveland, Buffalo ( Shuffle off to Buffalo - remember the song, well it had a dance movement too ), especially Detroit ( where the real masters were hopping ), and New York saw the various moves creatively combining for the first time. This saw, for example a move from Selma being " classed " ( jargon at that time ) by another move from Jonesboro-creative mixing set in, and nothing even close to the likes of a Lindy.

There is more.

Roger M. Christian
Links:

World of Dance Visions [ WebSite ].
Story Short Submissions [ WebSite ]
Ballroom Dance Champions [ WebSite ].
Dance Ithaca Directory [ WebSite }

 

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