Dear Lindy Hoppers Around the World,

Frankie Manning passed away Monday morning, April 27, in New York
surrounded by his family and friends.

Frankie made it clear that if he didn't make it to his birthday
festival, he wanted everyone to celebrate his life rather than mourn
his passing.

At Frankie's 95th Birthday Festival, May 21 – 25, we will be honoring
Lindy Hop's greatest ambassador. The Festival will allow the swing
dance community to come together in Frankie's hometown, the birthplace
of Lindy Hop, to grieve, to heal and to celebrate his life in a way
that will pay tribute to this extraordinary man.

***As an inclusive community, we think that anyone who wants to be a
part of this momentous occasion should be allowed the opportunity.
Therefore, we are reopening registration and encouraging everyone to
make the journey to New York City for the greatest celebration of
Frankie and the gift of his life.***

In addition to reopening registration, we are making the following
changes to the Festival:

- A memorial service will be held with details to be announced. Since
many people will not be able to attend the memorial service Saturday,
May 2nd, we are planning to hold a second service for the global
community during the Festival. This service will be open to the
public.

- In honor of Frankie, we are going to attempt to set the Guinness
World Record for most couples dancing at once. This will take place
Friday afternoon in Central Park, and is open to the public. On the
same afternoon, we will set the world record for largest Shim Sham.

- We will take a photograph of the largest gathering of Lindy Hoppers ever.

- The sold out Frankie Show on Sunday will be a tribute to Frankie's
life and will be broadcasted via a live feed into the adjourning
ballroom so that all Festival attendees can view it live. There may be
a modest fee to defer the cost of setting up this live feed.

- There will be many other tributes to Frankie that are still being finalized.

We know you have many questions, so please click here to visit our
FAQ: http://www.frankie95.com/faq.php

Please come to New York City to honor the man who did more for Lindy
Hop than any other, and show the world the strength and vibrance of
Frankie's legacy.

A one, a two, you know what to do!

With Love and Swingouts,

The Frankie 95 Team
www.frankie95.com

A Tribute to Frankie Manning The photo was taken at Irving Plaza celebrating Margaret Batiuchok's induction into the Swing Dance Hall of Fame Photo © & courtesy of Myrna Caceres