Norma Miller

In 1919, into the heart of the burgeoning Harlem Renaissance, Norma Miller was born. As a child, she would watch the likes of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald play to the hopping crowds of the Savoy Ballroom, the majestic heart of Harlem and the birthplace of swing. At just 12, she was plucked from the street outside its doors and so began a career that would take her around the globe as one of the world's foremost swing dancers - and all before she turned 18. So put on a record and lace up your dancing shoes, because we're swinging out from the sprung-wood floors of the Savoy to the slippery decks of British liners and the beaches of Rio as we follow the life of Norma Miller, Queen of Swing.

McFadden, Robert D. “Norma Miller, Lindy-Hopping ‘Queen of Swing,’ Is Dead at 99”, New York Times, May 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/obituaries/norma-miller-dead.html

Miller, Norma. Swingin'at the Savoy: the Memoir of a Jazz Dancer. Temple University Press, 1996.

Spring, Howard. "Swing and the Lindy Hop: dance, venue, media, and tradition." American Music (1997): 183-207.

If you want to support Deviant Women, follow us on: 

Patreon

Twitter @DeviantWomen

Facebook @deviantwomenpodcast

Instagram @deviantwomenpodcast

Deviant Women is recorded and produced on the lands of the Kaurna People and we pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.