But What About Al Minns?

With Frankie Month nearly upon us, lindy hoppers around the world celebrate Frankie Manning. Frankie did so much to make our community what it is today. There is a reason his name gets mentioned so often.

Yet a name not mentioned nearly enough is Al Minns In fact, Al’s contributions preceded Frankie’s. He is credited for bringing interest in lindy hop outside of Harlem in the early 1980s. He began teaching classes in Manhattan around this time.

Here he is in the early 1980s just crushing it!

Some students of Al’s would eventually go on to launch what would become Herrång Dance Camp, the biggest longest running lindy event in the world.

Al passed entirely too soon in 1985. As a community, we were lucky that he was willing to share. I hope dancers everywhere recognize that Al Minns had a major hand in the lindy hop community we have today.

Side Note: For those who are in the New York area, I recommend checking out Midsummer Night Swing “The Pivotal Role of Al Minns in Modern Day Lindy Hop.”