Put on your dancing shoes and prepare to swing the night away. On Friday, January 18, the Arts League of Michigan and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra present a party like none other. "A Swinging Dancing Good Time," the second event in Arts League's 2007-08 Jazz at the Center series, features two concerts starring Master Dancer Frankie Manning and the MSU Jazz Orchestra I led by Rodney Whitaker performing some of the most popular standards from the swing era.
Adding to the fun will be a dance floor, cocktail tables and a full cash bar. Plus, ticket holders are invited to attend a free swing lesson taught by members of the MSU Swing Dance Club prior to the first show so they can hit the floor dancing as soon as the first note sounds. The class begins at 6:30 p.m. and the shows are at 8 and 10:30 p.m. in The Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
Coinciding with the January 18 swing concert is the opening of Freedom, an exhibition of Fine Art organized by the Arts League of Michigan in cooperation with the Underground Railroad at the Historic First Congregational Church and sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund. The exhibit, on display at The Max from January 17 to March 30, is a celebration of freedom in all of its forms and of those who fought to make it a reality, both in the United States and abroad. The artists featured were asked to depict their own personal meaning of freedom in a visual work, and 30 works were selected to be a part of the exhibit. "As we began our journey to Freedom, the exhibition, we recognized freedom as much more than the Underground Railroad to so many people," said Oliver Ragsdale Jr., President, the Arts League of Michigan. "As our vision expanded, we thought of freedom of speech, democracy, religion, civil rights, freedom of choice and artistic freedom, among others. We knew there was a much bigger story to tell."
Frankie Manning grew up in Harlem and was part of a group of dancers that was to inspire the entire Swing Era. He took his talents on the road as a lead dancer and chief choreographer for Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, performing live and in films in the 1930s and 1940s. He took a hiatus from performing to enter the service in World War II and returned in 1946 to form the Congaroo Dancers, touring with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. As swing succumbed to rock & roll in the 1950s, Manning left the world of entertainment. When swing had its resurgence in the 1980s, Manning was ready to hit the floor once again. Since that time, he has been honored with prestigious awards, including a Tony for Best Choreography for the Broadway musical Black and Blue. He served as choreographer and creative consultant on the Broadway play Play On! and on films including Malcolm X and the made-for-TV Stompin' At the Savoy for NBC. He has also choreographed for many national and international dance companies. At 93, Manning is still touring, teaching and choreographing around the world and has been called a "cultural treasure" by Alice Pifer, a producer on ABC's 20/20.
Jazz at the Center is a program of the Arts League of Michigan in collaboration with the Michigan State University College of Music and in partnership with the DSO. The concert series features live performances by both local and nationally renowned jazz artists. Other Jazz at the Center concerts in 2008 include vocalists Ursula Walker, Naima Shambourger, Sunny Wilkinson and Shahidah Nurullah with the MSU Professors of Jazz on March 15 and the MSU Professors of Jazz with vocalist Alma Smith on May 10. Both are at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and begin at 8 p.m. Jazz at the Center is sponsored by the GM Foundation.
The Arts League of Michigan develops, present, preserves and promotes the African and African American cultural arts traditions within multicultural communities. -- www.detroitsymphony.com
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