String of Pearls

String of Pearls

By Sandy Wright.

Hello from Birmingham, England all you loves in America. I've go my own short to offer.
During the time of " The Blitz " ( For all you younger Yanks-means a time in which Hitler was bombing us. ), I met a Yank who really burned the dance floor with his Lindy. " Oh G-d Almighty " loves did he hustled it and slamed shoed it right down to the tiny wooden grains of the dance floor.

You see all you wonderful loves, the Yank got it from growing up in Queens. Oh how I did adored his swirly hair and long brows. I can still can see him now. Ooops, I may be getting too personal. How I like to go on.

Ernest Kline ( oh ya an American Gerry name too ), a tail gunner on one of those air battleships ( as we first called them ) on a B- 17 Flying Fortress, 8th Army Air Force.

There I was at a USO dance in London, near Surrey, listening to Benny Goodman and Arte Shaw sitting with my legs crossed, and being such a lady - go tell. I have just finished my duty station on an Anti - Aricraft Battery. Ak Ak as we would call them Yanks. I already shot down two Gerries, and they made me a sargent - battery commander. Oh ya, and wouldn't you know last week I went broke on my rations card and got on the small black market in my neighborhood a pair of sheer silk stockings ( No nylons back then loves ). " No eyelinner seam ( see editor's notes ) for this Gal.

He walk in and danced with some of the other pertties, and then ask me to dance. Then the music the band played was Glen Miller's String of Pearls.

All of a sudden the sirens echoed out across all London. Gerry is at it again. We knew he would and thus we doubled draped the windows before, and the sirens calls echoed out, we then dimed the lights too. To hell with Gerry, we are going to live tonight.

With out any instructions the band played String of Pearls again, and Ernie with his strong hands, and steady form stood a defiant dance pose. We Lindy to stars, as at any moment Gerry could hit us. And again the band played String of Pearls, and while the other gals with eyelinner seams on their legs ran, and smeared from swet all over,
" there was I and my legs free from any pretense and dancing with one hell of a great Lindy dancer. "

A real Jiver loves. We danced all night.

Since then we met and danced when he had a pass, that is far as I am going to tell, its private loves, and couple times at his base. As the war went on, he did his twenty. He was ordered out. Orders what a fool thing for you Yanks to do to me. Though we wrote during the war, and as my total of Gerries only got to three, we stoped around 1946.

As I sit here looking at the pictures of my grand children, 14 in all, I still remember String of Pearls and that one night I danced with a Yank.

I love you all Yanks.

Sandy, 83

Edit finished 9-7-2004

Swing Dance Classes: Introduction

Freddie James: The unknown force in swing dance during the 1950s and 60s was Arthur Murray Dance Studios. The leading factor which brought AM's dominace to the swing dance scene during this time was two fold:

One: It was the Vietnam War in which several young emerging dance swing and Lindy Hopper social personalities went, mostly to join up, in the various military branches. "For the love we had to stand up for America. " People in this cultural dance genre where in love in what America stood for. Dick Clark of American Bandstand, leter on lamented , as a result of knowing the list those who died in this war, on this fact, as he became the first to acknowledged this efffect on the swing Lindy Hop dance world. Moreover, as the war got more of this group of American swing dance - Lindy Hop youth, it left a vacume on the social dance floor, and as result ushered in the era of disco-following the new dance craze of Lindy Hopper ( yes he is a " Lindy Hopper " ) Chubby Checker's innovative dance " The Twist ". There was very, very few who could pass on the dance moves in swing - Lindy Hop, as a result of the War during this generation.

Two. Freddie James star appearance and emergance with " his " Lindy Hop styles started to electric'fied the whole studio system of Arthur Murray Dance Studios, Inc. Arthur Murray's Dance Board through his efforts as the leading influence among others had taken the national lead in developing a popular dance curricula to teach the swing - Lindy Hop, and thus dominated the dance genre itself during this era. They got most of the money too, and they well earned it too!

The interesting fascet about his styles, as result of the power and force of his very physical style of swing and Lindy Hop dance, from time to time he would split his pants. Everyone knew of this. " So during every given performance, his wife would bring at least two more pants." As it was commented to me. He almost earned the name " Splits " as a result. The energy he employed and the movements he threw in were all dynamic and awsome, and kept alive some of the stuff which could have disappeared if it was not for his dedications to this American Folk Dance. Ya ! Swing and Lindy Hop are American Folk dances.

What may surprise the present " Lindy World " is that he was also responsiable for encouraging the artisitic and personal rescue of Frankie Manning: this is the behind the scene scoop of the present dance Lindy World. That proponents, students, and alumni of Arthur Murray, and then later on Fred Astaire Dance Studios in New York City region had the available student base which further triggered and then supported this urgent artistic rescue. So if you ever wonder were his first core of students and support after the initial Televised broadcast - which reported his living conditions came from, and those who supplied the initial capital to restorate his career, then you have some idea....

April 14th, 2004