Frankie Manning

It was open and energetic with knees bent and bodies low and swinging, which allowed dancers to come up with all sorts of exciting moves.

While Frankie Manning's appearance in this story is fictional, He is a real person.

In fact, he created the first air steps, acrobatic moves such as the hip-to-hip, side flip, and over the back, and was instrumental in developing and promoting the dance.

That's all for this week at Cricket Magazine.

Van was amazing.

I mean, just as an example, there's so many people in this film, Frankie Manning, Nora Miller, the great dancers, Van Alexander, who were in their 80s and 90s when I knew them.

And they had more life in them than a lot of 30-year-olds I know.

So what you decide to do at a certain decade in your life is in part just by the spirit you put into it.

The Savoy Ballroom is pulsing with swing, and two dance crews are locked in a weekly contest that feels more like a gladiatorial bout than a social gathering.

Frankie Manning, paired with the fearless Freda Washington, steps up against George Shorty Snowden and his partner Big B, each hoping to outshine the other on the packed floor.

The stakes are high, prize money, reputation, and the chance to set a new standard for what a dance could look like.

What's striking about that night is how it sits at the intersection of Harlem's vibrant nightlife and the harsh economic realities of the era.

After that night, the aerial became a staple in Lindy Hop choreography, spreading from Harlem to Europe, then back to the US, and eventually into modern dance festivals.

It demonstrated how a single creative act could alter the trajectory of an entire genre by merging vernacular tradition with professional ambition.

Today, when we see a dancer spin off their partner on a contemporary swing stage, we're still listening to the echo of that 1935 moment in which Frankie Manning turned a dance contest into a pivot

point for jazz culture.

That uncertainty is part of why we keep revisiting the story.

So what does all this mean for us as listeners and creators? Frankie Manning's Ariel reminds us that jazz isn't just about notes.

It's also about bodies moving through space, taking risks, and redefining boundaries.

Whether you're a dancer, a producer, or just someone tapping along on your phone, the legacy of that first flip lives in every beat that lifts you off the ground.

[laughs] Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, first tape is the Frank Manning.

Yeah.

When I learned swing out, yeah, I learned, yeah, frame by frame.

Yeah.

[laughs] Well, can I also ask you, who are your inspirations in both Lindy Hop and Balboa?

Lindy Hop, all the time, Frank Manning.

And the Balboa, yeah, Maxie and, uh, Willie Desato and, uh, Pat Bartolo.