Ryan Francois
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Ryan Francois
Ryan Francois is a swing dancer, choreographer and actor, who played a central part of the revival of the Lindy Hop . Specialising in dances related to the Jazz & Swing era - including the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Tap and Authentic Vernacular Jazz, Ryan has over 30 years dance experience. Ryan learned from and danced with Frankie Manning as well as Pepsi Bethel, George Lloyd and Mama Lu Parks. Biography Choreography for the UK TV shows: * ''Strictly Come Dancing'' * ''So You Think You Can Dance'' (UK Series 1) * ''So You Think You Can Dance'' (UK Series 2) Founder and artistic director of the dance companies: Swing X-Treme and Zoots and Spangles. Choreographed the swing dance Jitterbug Stroll (1992). Appeared in the musical ''Swing!'' by Paul Kelly. Co-choreographer for Feelin In The Mood' musical. Movies * Malcolm X * Idlewild * Swing Kids * The Polar Express * Lackawanna Blues * Shore Leave Awards Twice winner of the U.S. Open and American Swing Dance Champion. Nomin ...
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Frankie Manning
Frank Manning (May 26, 1914 – April 27, 2009) was an American dancer, instructor, and choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founders of Lindy Hop, an energetic form of the jazz dance style known as swing. Biography Manning was born in 1914 in Jacksonville, Florida. After his parents separated when he was three years old, he moved to Harlem with his mother, who was a dancer. Manning began dancing as a child. Manning's mother sent him to spend summers with his father, aunt, and grandmother on their farm in Aiken, South Carolina. On Saturdays, farmhands and locals would come to the farm to play music on the front porch with harmonicas and a washtub bass. Manning's grandmother encouraged Frankie to dance with the others. In October 1927, Manning attended the Renaissance Ballroom & Casino. Watching from the balcony, he saw his mother dancing formal ballroom styles such as the foxtrot and waltz, having only seen her dance before in a much looser and casual style at ...
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Pepsi Bethel
Alfred "Pepsi" Bethel (August 31, 1918, Greensboro, North Carolina – August 30, 2002, New York City) was a jazz dancer, choreographer, and leader of his own dance troupe, the Pepsi Bethel Authentic Jazz Dance Theater, which he founded in 1960.Terry MonaghanPepsi Bethel, Lindy-hopping jazz dancer who choreographed the celebratory revue One Mo' Time The Guardian September 27, 2002 Career He began his career with dances like the Cakeywalk, Lindy hop, and Charleston at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, and worked with the Mura Dehn Jazz Ballet and other companies before forming his own troupe. He is known for choreographing the Lindy Hop jazz routine Tranky Doo. Jennifer DunningPepsi Bethel, 83, a Champion Of American Popular Dance New York Times, September 6, 2002 Bethel worked as a consultant and choreographer on several shows directed by Vernel Bagneris, including two productions of '' One Mo' Time'', '' Staggerlee'' (1987) and ''Jelly Roll!'' (1994). In 1980, his work as a chor ...
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Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 judges. The title of the show is a continuation of the long-running series ''Come Dancing''. The format has been exported to 60 other countries—under the title '' Dancing with the Stars''—licensed by BBC Worldwide, and led to a modern dance-themed spin-off '' Strictly Dance Fever''. The ''Guinness World Records'' named ''Strictly'' to be the world's most successful reality television format in 2010. The series is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Bruce Forsyth co-presented the series with Daly until 2014. The series has been broadcast on BBC One since 15 May 2004, typically on Saturday evenings with a following Sunday night results show. From series 2 onwards, the show has been broadcast in the run up to Christmas ...
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So You Think You Can Dance (UK Series 1)
The 1st series of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' premiered on 2 January 2010, beginning with one audition show which showed the auditions, choreography camp and introducing the top 14. Five elimination rounds were followed by a final, with performances and results shown on the same night. The winner's prize was the title "Britain's Favourite Dancer", £100,000 and a trip to Hollywood, where the winner would perform in the US series finale. The finale of the first series was held on 13 February 2010. Robbie White was injured, and could not perform. Lizzie Gough finished third, Tommy Franzén was the season runner-up, but female jazz dancer Charlie Bruce ended up as the winner. Judging panel Former ''Strictly Come Dancing'' judge and choreographer Arlene Phillips and executive producer and creator of the show Nigel Lythgoe made up the original judging panel for series one. Louise Redknapp, Sisco Gomez and Priscilla Samuels were guest judges during the audition stages, alongside ...
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So You Think You Can Dance (UK Series 2)
The second and final series of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' began on 26 March 2011 and ended on 11 June 2011. Tapper Matt Flint took first place and the title "Britain's Favourite Dancer", as well as a prize package including £50,000 and a trip to Hollywood, where he performed in the U.S. series’ eighth season finale. Auditions The show hosted auditions in Manchester on 17 October 2010, Glasgow on 19 October 2010 and London on 21 and 22 October, according to the BBC website, contestants could also audition in Cardiff and Belfast. Judging Panel Sisco Gomez, Louise Redknapp, Nigel Lythgoe and Arlene Phillips all returned to the judging panel for series two. Singer and The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke appeared as a guest judge during the audition stages. Singer and actor John Barrowman appeared as a guest judge during week six of the live shows, in place of Lythgoe. Finals Top 20 dancers Male contestants Female contestants Elimination chart Performance night ...
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Jitterbug Stroll
The Jitterbug Stroll is a swing line dance choreographed in 1992 by Ryan Francois, a Lindy Hop dancer and teacher. It is danced to swing music with 12 bar blues structure such as Woody Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball" or Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump". In the 1990s, the dance was very popular among Lindy Hoppers, like the Shim Sham The Shim Sham Shimmy, Shim Sham or just Sham originally is a particular tap dance routine and is regarded as tap dance's national anthem. For today's swing dancers, it is a line dance. History In the late 1920s, when Leonard Reed and Willie Bry .... The step list for the Jitterbug Stroll is as follows: The dance is organized in groups of 6 bars of 8 beats each. each group of 6 bars faces a different direction on the dance floor - meaning the dancer turns 90 degrees every 6 bars. every group of 6 bars is organized in the following way: 3 bars of a signature step, 1 bar of stroll around/pivot turn, 1 bar of signature step and 1 bar of a break step ...
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Swing!
''Swing!'' is a musical conceived by Paul Kelly with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the Swing era of jazz (1930s–1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like Duke Ellington, William "Count" Basie, Benny Goodman and others. It received a nomination for the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical and other Tony awards. Productions ''Swing!'' premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on December 9, 1999 and closed on January 14, 2001, running for 461 performances. The director and choreographer was Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and the production was supervised by Jerry Zaks. Among the cast were Laura Benanti, Ann Hampton Callaway and Everett Bradley. A US tour began Nov 20, 2000 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.McBride, MurdocSwing Closes Jan. 14 on Broadway; Touring Co. Gets Strong Start in L.A. playbill.com, January 14, 2001 The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera production, directed and choreographed by one of the original cast members, Dana Soliman ...
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Paul Kelly (musical Theatre)
Paul Kelly may refer to: Academia * Paul Kelly (mathematician) (1915–1995), American mathematician * Paul Kelly (journalist) (born 1947), Australian journalist * Paul Kelly (lawyer) (born c. 1955), American lawyer and former NHL Players Association executive director * Paul Kelly (professor) (born 1962), British political theorist * Paul Kelly (doctor), an epidemiologist who is currently Chief Medical Officer of Australia Sportspeople * Paul Kelly (cricketer) (born 1960), New Zealand cricketer * Paul Kelly (Australian rules footballer) (born 1969), Australian rules footballer * Paul Kelly (footballer, born 1969), English footballer * Paul Kelly (soccer) (born 1974), American soccer player * Paul Kelly (hurler) (born 1979), Irish hurler * Paul Kelly (fighter) (born 1984), British martial artist Music and film * Paul Kelly (actor) (1899–1956), American stage and screen actor * Paul Kelly (American musician) (1940–2012), American soul singer-songwriter * Paul Kelly (Australia ...
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Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton and are named after Antoinette "Tony" Perry, an actress, producer and theatre director who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing. The trophy consists of a spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel. The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the off ...
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British Ballroom Dancers
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Briton (d ...
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British Choreographers
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Briton (d ...
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