Swingin' at the Savoy: The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer [Hardcover]

Norma Miller (Author), Evette Jensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

Dancer, award-winning choreographer, show producer, stand-up comedienne, TV/film actress, and author, Norma Miller shares her touching historical memoir of Harlem's legendary Savoy Ballroom and the phenomenal music and dance craze that "spread the power of Swing across the world like wildfire". It was a time when the music was Swing, and Harlem was king. Renowned as "the world's most beautiful ballroom, and the largest and most elegant in Harlem, the Savoy was the only ballroom not segregated when it opened in 1926. The Savoy hosted the best bands and attracted the best dancers by offering the challenge of fierce competition. White people travelled uptown to learn exciting new dance styles. Dance contest winner by fourteen, Norma Miller became a member of Herbert White's world famous Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and a celebrated Savoy Ballroom Lindy Hop champion. "Swingin' at the Savoy" chronicles a significant period in American cultural history and race relations, as it glorifies the popularised home of the Lindy hop, and the birthplace of such memorable dance fads as the Big Apple, Shag, Truckin', Peckin', Susie Q, the Charleston, Peabody, Black Bottom, Cake Walk, Boogie Woogie, the Shimmy, and tap dancing. Miller shares anecdotes about her youthful encounters with many of the greatest jazz legends in music history including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Billy Holiday, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters and even boxer Joe Louis.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an important book, bringing some much-overdue attention to the swing dancers who along with the musicians defined the era." --Robert Tate, Jazz Now "A refreshing look at the history of swing dancing is Swingin' at the Savoy... Miller has not only created an entertaining history of swing, but more importantly, gives the reader a sense of the personalities of people and places most have only heard of. The book is unique as a humorous autobiography, full of youthful antics and charm. Delightful anecdotes and photos of big bands give us a view of swing music and its popularity in a real world aspect different than most music historians today." --Lance Benishek, Dancing USA --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

A celebration of a life of dancing the Lindy Hop

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566394945
• ISBN-13: 978-1566394949
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Dancers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Swing Dance Book, December 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Swingin' at the Savoy: The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer (Hardcover)

Norma Miller is one of the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers who danced at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. It has some nice Pictures and some great information ,although it is about her personal bio at the Savoy and other dance spots she was in over the years, it is a little biased about Norma (understandably) and The role that she and the Hoppers played in the Making of popular Lindy Hop. It could have had more stories about the other dancers and places. It is however a major recomendation for any Swing Dancer/Fan.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fluffy but Fun, June 21, 2003

By 

Stephen Cannon (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Swingin' at the Savoy: The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer (Hardcover)

In the 1930s and 1940s, Swing jazz captivated America in a way no musical style ever had before. Swing was largely developed in Harlem and its driving beat made dance an inevitable component of this new music. The new dance created was the lindy hop, a non-classic couples dance largely created on the floor of the Savoy Ballroom.

Swinging at the Savoy traces the life of Harlemite Norma Miller, who came of age just at the perfect time to invest her entire future in a faddish dance despite protests from her disapproving mother.

Of course, Norma beat the odds and made a decent living as a performer, but this is not what the book is about. The real draw of this book is the chance to glean musical and dance history straight from the horses mouth. Indeed, Norma discusses the bands, the clientele, the lifestyle, the celebrities she met, and racial issues, but more often than not the bubbly Norma gets caught up in the warmth of her very dear memories.

Swinging at the Savoy follows Norma through innumerable dance
performances, which were far from dull thanks to infectious Norma's joy and enthusiasm for dance. However, I would have preferred that her performances had been given a bit less weight and more had been included a few more anecdotes on Duke Ellington and Chick Webb, more discussion on issues such as the development of the music and dance, and how interracial dancing was possible in the dark ages of the 1930s.

Of course, the book is subtitled The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer and so I cannot really fault the book for putting the events of Norma's life at the center. Furthermore, the book is prefaced with an excellent essay by jazz expert Ernie Smith that provides a solid historical perspective on the music and dance of Swing.

Swinging at the Savoy is a breeze to read and includes a good number of photographs that help bring the book to life. I recommend this book to anyone interested in African-American culture, jazz, dance, or U.S. history.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the true lindy hopper... the first book of choice., January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Swingin' at the Savoy: The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer (Hardcover)

Forget those neo-swing books... this is the one to get if you want to know about the tales and stories from the start of it all. Wonderfully told from a first person account...