Norma Miller’s Followers (1)

Norma Miller

Born

in Harlem, New York, The United States

December 02, 1919

Genre

Music, Memoir, History

Influences

Frankie Manning, Count Basie, Chick Webb... ...more

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Norma Miller (born December 2, 1919) is a Lindy hop dancer known as the Queen of Swing. She is also a choreographer, actress and comedian.

Norma Miller was born in Harlem, New York, in 1919 to mother Alma and father Norman, a soldier who died just a month before her birth, both from Barbados. When the Great Depression began in 1929, Miller and her family moved to a new apartment near the Savoy Ballroom>.

On Easter Sunday in 1932, when Miller was twelve years old, she was dancing outside the Savoy and approached by Twist Mouth George, “the greatest dancer at the Savoy,” as Miller put it.

Later that year, Miller entered the Savoy Lindy Hop Contest, which was held at the Apollo Theater. Miller entered with one of her high school friends, Sonny A Norma Miller (born December 2, 1919) is a Lindy hop dancer known as the Queen of Swing. She is also a choreographer, actress and comedian.

Norma Miller was born in Harlem, New York, in 1919 to mother Alma and father Norman, a soldier who died just a month before her birth, both from Barbados. When the Great Depression began in 1929, Miller and her family moved to a new apartment near the Savoy Ballroom>.

On Easter Sunday in 1932, when Miller was twelve years old, she was dancing outside the Savoy and approached by Twist Mouth George, “the greatest dancer at the Savoy,” as Miller put it.

Later that year, Miller entered the Savoy Lindy Hop Contest, which was held at the Apollo Theater. Miller entered with one of her high school friends, Sonny Ashby, and they won the contest. Winning gave Miller recognition and prompted Herbert "Whitey" White, the dance master at the Savoy, to ask her to join his group, Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. She was hired in 1934 at age 15, the youngest member of the group.
Next, the Lindy Hoppers were asked to appear in the 1941 movie Hellzapoppin'. She has a memorable role as a dancing cook in the film.

In 1936, the group began a tour of the U.S. with headliner, Ethel Waters. In California, the group appeared in A Day at the Races, a movie by MGM Studios. After the tour, Miller was hospitalized for exhaustion.
She rejoined the group in 1938.

Miller left the Lindy Hoppers in 1942 and began working as a producer and attending dance school. She took classes based on the techniques of Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. She toured Canada and the United States, lived in Los Angeles for a time, and returned to New York in 1946.

From 1952 to 1968, Miller directed and toured with the Norma Miller Dancers and Norma Miller and Her Jazzmen, both of which included Frankie Manning's son Charles "Chazz" Young as well as her long-time partner Billy Ricker. In 1954, her group toured nationally with the Count Basie show. She and Cab Calloway introduced their comedy skit of Romeo and Juliet while performing in Miami Beach, where she lived until 1959. In 1972, Miller travelled to Vietnam on a solo comedy tour. She moved to Las Vegas in 1977, where she starred in and produced shows. She returned to New York In 1982, where she lived and worked until 1990 when she returned to Las Vegas.

[source: en.wikipedia.org]
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Combine Editions
Norma Miller’s books

Average rating: 4.1 · 182 ratings · 24 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Swinging at The Savoy. The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer 4.08 avg rating — 178 ratings — published 1996 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Swing, Baby Swing! 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Norma Miller’s Followers (1)

Norma Miller

Combine EditionsNorma Miller’s books

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Norma Miller’s books