The Big Apple!

The Big Apple started in Columbia, SC at a night club that was an old converted church in 1936. Created by the black dancers in Columbia it soon spread to the white dance clubs, who eventually brought it to New York City.

Frankie Manning, the lead dancer/choreographer for the troupe of the Savoy Ballroom dancers run by Herbet White collectively known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, was given a description of the called circle dance by Whitey which he then staged into a choreographed number for "Keep Punchin'".

This dance swept the nation and was so popular that a number of clubs banned it because they simply didn't have enough room for everyone to dance it!

d nice

Thanks so much for this post, and for all of the other educational and interesting posts I've read. One question: where do you get the dance footage? My coach gave me the link to a great website that has vintage swing, jazz and other videos.

I know that BET and sometimes BETSTARZ show really cool movies from the 30's and 40's. All Black casts and lots of GREAT dancing. I just don't know where to find such stuff for myself. Any suggestions?

That is pretty much the best source for commercial copies. If you are really interested you can go my route and to Washington DC . The Smithsonian Institute's American Heritage Museum Archive hosts Ernie Smith's Jazz Film Archive the largest privately held collection of jazz music and dance on film. For EDUCATIONAL/RESEARCH purposes you can get copies made of their reference videos of the films.

Ernie is an amazing person and his passion and research is unparalleled. IF you are really interested in this option, let me know. They know me, I know Ernie, and cI an give you some pointers on making the process "flow smoother".

That probably makes no sense, but there is a reason.

d nice

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it, and especially the offer to help me make the process "flow smoother."

But, I have enough humility to know when I'm in presence of greatness. Let me do some reading and take a look at what's out there commercially first. Gotta do the homework.

Then, I'll take you up on your offer, for sure.

Thanks again.

"Greatness" :lol:

I've just been around for awhile. There are plenty of of opportunities to meet people like Ernie, Frankie, Norma and other "movers and shakers". It all matters on what events you travel to.

You might want to check out TC Hepcats (swinginhepcats.com). The selection for vintage material is not as good, but they have some other stuff that might interest you.

I have a small collection of TimeLife LP Box Sets, and the best part is the huge 100+ page hardcover book that came with each set of 3 records detailing bands, dance history and photo spread. It has an interesting two-page still 'cartoon' of one version of the Big Apple on it, I'll have to scan it in and post it here. (consider this a reminder to self...)

-FF

Thanks ff that would be super.

We've got Frankie manning coming here in a couple of weeks, and the Big Apple is going to be one of the classes taught. I'm glad that there will be more dancers here getting a piece of this history.

The jazz steps are such an important part of lindy hop syllabus, and do so much for your body and footwork with the dance.

YAY!

Okay. So now talk to me about this big apple a little more. There's going to be a big apple workshop here in November taught by someone named Hep Jen from Seattle. Thoughts?

Jen is a pretty neat person shes been around for about the same amount f time as I have I believe. Check out the workshop if you can.

The big apple is a circle dance that started in a Jewish Synagouge which was converted into a black nightclub. One night a group of white youths were passing by the club and heard the music, and clapping and shouting that was pouring out the open door and decided to check it out. They were stopped by the doorman and denied entrance. The club lik eevery social establishment in the south in those days was segregated... Blacks Only.

Their enthusiasm and obvious disregard for the socially ordered segregation wore down the doorman. He charged them a quarter each and allowed them in, but only if they would go up stairs and stay in the balconies.

Once inside it was a different world than they had seen before. There was no band, it was what was called a "Jook Joint" a juke box played and the dancers danced. It wasn't long before the whites started throwing change down to the black dancers, because when the music stopped so did the dancing.

They took note of the amazing creativity and syncopations there black dancers exhibited. The whole body movement and just passion with which they danced....

It wasn't long before the styling and moves seen in the Big Apple Club was reproduced in white clubs. The circle dance where steps were called out, and individuals and couples came in to do shine steps was soon called the Big Apple Dance by the whites, paying tribute to their original inspiration.

The original dance used a caller in the middle of the circle who would call out and execute steps to be mimiced by the rest of the dancers. Frankie choreographed a version of the big apple, which is still taught today. Jen will probably teach this choreographed version rather than just the vernacular jazz steps in a called format.

Did you have any specific questions about the dance?

Thanks so much! Nope. No specific questions about the dance itself, but I bet I'll have more after the workshop. I'm also going to go talk to my Dad. He was a big frequenter of juke joints in SC in the late thirties and early forties. He may or may not know anything about the big apple, but I bet we'll have a great conversation!

As it turns out, the local swing club sponsors a bunch of workshops in addition to their regular weekly dances. A great place to check out lindy, shag, balboa and some other specialty dances. Yay!

Excellent. If you ever want the low-down on an instructor let me know.

Cool! Thanks. 8)

Heya Damon (or any other swing scholars out there), I've got a question for you...

We'd just shown the 1938 Frank Capra film You Can't Take it With You to our students last week and it has a seen where it seems to suggest that it was illegal to dance the Big Apple. The movie is set in NY, and the scene in question comes as a group of kids are soliciting money, in the park, at night, to teach the dance. The studnets and some of the TAs had questions about this, so any background that you can provide would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Here are a couple of items I found years ago with a more detailed early history of the dance.

Here's a nice clip from the 1939 movie Keep Punching where they perform the Big Apple