I would like to share how much you inspire me, and how often you touched my life with your sparkling enthusiasm.
Born in Germany, I first met you in Germany in Munich, when Markus Koch brought you into the Boogie-Baren Boogie-Woogie camp, when you were ONLY 79 years old and could not dance, because of your hip. You were telling stories about the times in the '30s and how Lindy-hop came into life. It was an eye-opening experience for me to just listen to you and how much dance meant in the old days. It was a lifestyle, not only a hobby, and many, many people have followed you in your footsteps in the following decades and almost a century now.... For me, I first found out, that there is a lot more to swing dance than just Boogie-Woogie.... In any case, I was so inspired by your life all involving dance and your come-back, after you had your hip surgery, as a dance teacher, a performer, a raw model of happy living and most of all as the man, who can be in love with his dance partner for 2 minutes on the floor. It's all about making your dance partner feel good. That is your message all along. Your sparkling eyes and your encouraging smile, while dancing with you, say more than any steps I could ever learn.
When I moved to the United States, I instantly experienced having a family – a dance family – everywhere I went. I was never a stranger and all this is only because YOU started it. Thank you so much for the dance love that infected the world and made me feel home, wherever I was. I had the pleasure to be one of the 87 women you danced with in Boston at your 87th birthday party and I also enjoyed dancing with you in many camps and workshops over the years.
Just remembering "The HOP the Millennium" in Mexico in 2000 (which is where the photo is from) for the turn of the millennium was one of those experiences, that only happened, because you were the inspiration to make a whole world dance. Pretty much all of us danced for about 25 days non-stop in a row and still did not want to stop.
Though, the most memorable (and embarrassing) memory I have dancing with you, was at Swingout Northwest for another turn of another year. At the end of the camp, there was a teacher's jam and it happened to happen that you picked me for your partner in this jam. Off course, I was very nervous to be with the most loved man in swing dance in the spotlight and must not have paid enough attention to your lead... as it happened, I fell on my butt while you were pulling me in for a swing-out... well, I will never forget this moment and I am sure it is on video somewhere in the archives. But, I am proud that I can say, I danced with you and today I really laugh about this incident. All I remember are your sparkling eyes, when you enter the dance floor. I call it dance passion infecting everyone in the room like a virus.
You started – almost a century ago – to spread this virus in the world and it is a good virus and we all will spread it further, until all generations will know how dance can be a life full of joy and happiness.
Today I live in the United States and have a 2 year old son. He is already doing the Charleston steps with me. I will make sure that he also will experience the wonders of swing dance, when time comes in his life. So, keep on inspiring us, Frankie....and thank you for your gift to the world, it's truly unique.
Happy Birthday to your 95th year of swing dancing.
with Lindy-Love
Isgard
(one of your long-term German-American admirers from San Diego)
Isgard Hueck
San Diego,
No comments:
Post a Comment