Interview with dance legend NORMA MILLER!

And now …. An excerpt from a recent interview with dance legend NORMA MILLER, the Queen of Swing, formerly member of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, dancing partner of Frankie Manning, comedian and respected dance teacher! Please read the excerpt “The language of dancers” below (Interview with Miss “Queen of Swing” Norma Miller from August 2011 (excerpt).
Copyright Dr. A. Ebert 2011

The language of dancers

It was on the last of a total of three very interesting days with the very gentle, witty and charming Miss Norma Miller that the two of us, after a long conversation that covered everything from Cab Calloway, cheesecake to MASH 4077 to ‘The Ten Commandments’ (Miss Miller turned out to be even more obsessed by movies and TV series than myself), that we finally sat down to do our postponed official interview.
As I turned on my recording machine, and we gathered  comfortably at the dining table at my pals Stephan’s and Juergen’s apartment in Berlin, we went into another long talk about the origins of the Lindy Hop, and some highlights of Miss Miller’s life as “Queen of Swing” and teller of countless tales of the life on the road, touring with Duke Ellington and many others.

Many of these incidents and anecdotes you can find in one of her books, just check her website. I am now referring to “Swing, Baby Swing!”  which is dedicated to the memory of the great Frankie Manning, her close friend and dancing partner for many years.

Now here is an excerpt of the interview. The full text will be published in a German magazine. (In case you work for, are the editor of or would love to see the complete article in “your” magazine, Quarterly, newspaper or whatever, please don’t hesitate to contact me under jive at jive-talk dot com).

So first of all, we were talking about the birth and the influence of the Lindy Hop, that …

NM: “Was named for an event that happened in America. It was Lindbergh’s hop across the ocean in 1927. And because they were playing jazz at the ballroom, they named the dance after the flight. Which became the Lindy Hop. It had no name prior. It didn’t come from anything. All you did in the ballroom at one time was: you did a foxtrot!
And from the foxtrot, which was the basis of all dance that was done to that kind of music that was prior to swing, came the two-step. This one started from the one-step…. because the music was Dixieland.”
Now Miss Miller more or less made some steps with her feet where she sat, demonstrating the move. However, she was barely moving at all, even if she had been standing up. I told her so, and she smiled…
NM: “Right! When you danced then, you didn’t do anything else. Because you’re listening to Dixieland. Now, Dixieland got you to one-TWO, one-TWO… This is what couples did in a ballroom.
Now… here come Shorty (George) Snowden. And he added (again Norma making a few steps while seated) the-break-a-way one-two, and the-break-a-way one-two.
That was how it evolved!
From this dance came – I mean from the break-a-away one-two – this is how I understand, Twistmouth George had us go one-two-three, one-two-three, bop-bop, one-two-three, bop-bop, you see?”
This time the chair will not hold her back; with some energy, she whirls into a short but powerful step, accentuating the “bop-bop” while she waits for my understanding nod.
NM: “And that became, now, what eventually became, well, led into what became the Lindy Hop!
Now… when they were dancing this dance, and the event happened – well, what I think, because I wasn’t there – but I assume, they combined the two things. And now there’s a dance called the Lindy Hop.
That is 1927, 1928. Now the music is changing! Here, we got Fletcher Henderson! Who is taking Dixieland out of the New Orleans scene. He began arranging the horns, the brass… ‘smoothing out’  Dixieland. Now you’re beginning to have, well, the beginning of swing.
Now the swing is being jazzed-up. And the jazz is coming with the swing. Now … the dancing is moving the same way as the music. … they were playing this kind of music, specifically at the Savoy.”
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After touching subjects like the Nicholas Brothers (tap dancers, Lindy Hop footage on TV) we naturally got to talk about one of the greatest jazz composers of all times, Count Basie. Easy to find out how Norma felt about that man, since …
NM: “You won’t ever hear a Count Basie tune that you can’t dance to! There is no such tune from Basie. … Why? … because Basie designed all of this music to keep dancers on the dance floor. And he used to tell them.
Now, you can’t dance to all of Duke Ellington’s music. Duke had a great band, but he was not a favorite of dancers. He wasn’t a dance band. He never intended to be. Great band! But he did not cater to dancers. He catered for you to listen and enjoy his music.
But now you hear Basie! Baa-ya, ba-ya, bah, bah!…. anybody could dance to it. That’s what Basie had, and that went to all of his music. That was why he was always the favorite of dancers!
Even today! I could go among a group of kids, and I could do just this … Baa-ya, ba-ya, bah, bah! … Everybody knows how to do the shim-sham… and everybody knows it. It’s a language around the world. How did that happen? Now: Every dancer hears it! It’s the language of dancers!”
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If you want to know more about this exceptional lady, please visit her website and get her latest book.
Because while she is holding lectures on the evolution of swing all around the world (it is hard to imagine, but the woman is 91 years old!) she is also preparing a massive documentary and/or semi-autobiographical project on the Lindy Hop with particular emphasis on Mr. Frankie Manning, maybe the most influential Lindy Hopper of all times.
She currently is looking for sponsors for the project, and if you happen to be in a position to support this enterprise, please email her; you can do so right from her website. If you do so, please send her my regards.

Dr. A. Ebert, © 2011