Frankie,

Thank you for the little glimpses of heaven we experience when we dance your dance. In a tumultuous and difficult world, you taught us how to be happy with one another, even if only for little three-minute spurts of time.

We offer you back these little blissful moments today. May God stitch them together into a beautiful path on which you shorty-george your way into your eternal reward.

Rest in peace our friend.

I stopped dancing in these shoes years ago, but I will always keep them.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonibduguid/3479387217/" title="RIP Frankie Manning by tonibduguid, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3479387217_70766aee53.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="RIP Frankie Manning" /></a>

I am so lucky to have met Frankie early in my dancing career (when I was still rocking the saddle shoes) and relatively recently at Y10A. He will be greatly missed.

Frankie was a blessing to my life. My funniest memory was his cross-dress party on Frankie-89 cruise.

I had totally forgotten about the cross dressing event on the cruise until you brought it up...thanks for the reminder....that was a good time.

R.I.P. Frankie, thank your for deeply touching my life.

That's a sweet photo with Judy. :)

I have been combing the internet non-stop trying to make some sense of all this and what John100 said was the most poignant.

Amen.

My God.

I don't know what to say. He taught me how to dance.

Kalman

You showed us how to celebrate life. Thank you.

His was a life of generosity, joy and grace. He worked hard, played hard, sacrificed and suffered, but was repaid a thousandfold. He inspired countless followers and accepted our admiration with an inimitable combination of humility and confidence: an artistic giant who was a friend to all. His stories, his memory and his legacy will live forever... let us celebrate his transition into immortality. This is a sad morning, but we will dance with Frankie's spirit the rest of our days.

Frankie is Savoy Savoy

Behold! Frankie is Savoy. The bond Of silence is upon him. Old And deep with memories, of slights and scorn, And trampled on, yet all untamed; All aged now, yet unbowed, -- The master of the young dance's prime, Whose rhythms still laugh at Time, And lifts to heaven the joy of movement, Rests satisfied upon his fame.

Who shall say: I taught swing to fly; And fought abroad to preserve a freedom I did not have at home, Give it all up for family and community, Then returned to teach the world to swing?

Yea, voices mutter about idle comparisons; Singing of fast feet and celluloid fame, New-born and known but yesterday.

--"Rhythm in Exile", Eshu Obatala

i had the honor of dancing with frankie at his 89th and 90th birthday dances, i was so looking forward to dancing with him this year. frankie was such a genuine and lovely person.

something i'm very glad for is that frankie got to see his dance come back in his lifetime and he got to participate in bringing it to so many people. think of how many people's life he changed. he was truly extraordinary and truly awesome.

thank you for being a wonderful part of our lives, frankie. we miss you.

I'm at a weekend long dance camp in upstate NY, learning all different ballroom dances. During the friday dinner to kick off the event, they have all the teachers come out and introduce themselves with a dance. Frankie comes out and during his dance, pulls of his cap, dips himself backward so far that with a big beaming smile he touches the floor with it.

All I could say at the time was "wow." Someone next to me leans over "And can you believe he's 79 years old." Jaw hits ground. At the point, it was clear to me I wanted to dance Lindy and I wanted to be as vibrate, active and joyful as Frankie when I'm his age.

Thanks for the inspiration Frankie and for giving us the dance.

Frankie,

You have inspired me to never stop dancing. I wish that I could have spent more time with you. I will never forget the two times I met you and how incredibly memorable both of those moments will be forever. I hope that for every dance I have, I will feel your lindy spirit guiding my every move. RIP Frankie.

Peace to Chazz, Judy and his family. We will always keep Frankie's memory alive through our dance and in our hearts and continue to celebrate his life and all that he gave to everyone.