Category Archives: lindy hop and other dances

First couple, dancing with Johnny Innis in A Day At The Races (1937):

linky

From the 1935 film Hooray for Love

Linky

And in the 1937 film Swing Is Here To Stay

linky

aka Mildred “Boogie” Pollard, aka Lindy hopper!

In Radio City Revels in 1938, the second couple in the jam, but the first couple after the cut from the singer at the beginning (ie there’s another couple in the jam before Gibson and partner ‘Shorty’ Davis).

linky

In Spirit Moves in 1950 with James Berry:

linky

Norma Miller: author and lindy hopping queen.

Miller and Leon James are the second couple in this sequence from Day at the Races (1937):

linky

Miller (dancing with George Greenidge) is half of the sixth couple in the jam during the jitterbug contest section of Keep Punchin’ (1939):

linky

Miller dances with Billy Ricker, as the second couple in the iconic scene fromHellzapoppin’ (1941):

linky

Miller is in the Hot Chocolates/Cottontail (1941) soundie, but I’m not sure which dancer she is:

linky

There are some interesting photos of Norma Miller, Frankie Manning and other dancers in the Getty Images collection.

[Once again I’m using Bobby’s article about iconic clilps to identify dancers.]

Ryan Swift’s Photo of Dawn Hampton at LindyFest 2011 decided me on Dawn Hampton for today’s Woman Jazz Dancer.

Hampton played a bundle of instruments in her family’s band and has had a long career in music and dance. But she’s best known today for her musicality classes, and there are a couple of clips of her scaring teaching dancers about musicality at Lindyfest this year. I really like these clips because she does the sort of nuanced dancing that reminds me of dancers like Leon James – stillness and minimalism combined with sharp, dramatic movements.

A demonstration dance with Virgine Jensen, Steven Mitchell and Frida Segerdahl:

linky

Teaching a musicality class:

linky

I have a fondness for female dancer-comedians. Bea was an excellent dancer, and the ‘shorty’ part of George ‘Shorty’ Snowden’s joke wouldn’t have worked without her.

(from the 1937 film ‘Ask Uncle Sol’)
linky

linky

Whitey’s Lindy Hopper of awesome!

Second couple in this scene from the 1947 film Boy! What a Girl!:

linky

At 3.00 dancing at the Savoy with Leon James (from 1950 Mura Dehn docoSpirit Moves):

linky

In a whole series of sequences from Spirit Moves, wearing a shiny skirt and strapless shirt:

• at 2.00 doing the California routine
• at 4.16 doing the Big Apple routine

linky

[Thanks again to Peter Loggins for helping me figure out who’s who in the clips, AND for suggesting Esther!]