Frankie Manning was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 26, 1914. He is a famous dancer, instructor and choreographer who is considered a founding father of the swing dancing style of Lindy Hop. He was a regular at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem during the 1930s and performed the first "air step," commonly referred to as an aerial in 1935. That year he also created the professional performance dance troup Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, and upon its break-up he began working for the United States Postal Service. Frankie was a key player in the swing revival of the 1980s. He won a Tony Award for co-choreography for the Broadway musical "Black and Blue." Today he continues to dance, teach and choreograph.

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