Early Lindy Hop: Willamae Ricker

SAVOYSTYLESHOP Vintage Videos Instructional Video Norma Miller Book	Willa Mae Ricker
BIOGRAPHIES *First Generation:* Shorty George LeroyStretchJones Twistmouth George The Golden Age: Whitey'sLindyHprs. Tiny Bunch Congaroo Dancers Sandra Gibson		Films Hellzapoppin' (1941) Hot Chocolates (1941) Killer Diller (1948) The Spirit Moves (c.1950) View QuickTime sample of Willa Mae Ricker dancing with Frankie Manning from "The Spirit Moves"About QuickTime
George Grenidge Leon James Ann Johnson Dorothy Johnson Norma Miller Al Minns Frankie Manning Mildred Pollard Billy Ricker Willa Mae Ricker Russell Williams	Willamae Ricker was one of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, featured in the famous 1943 LIFE Magazine story on the Lindy Hop with Leon James, along with the white Broadway dancers, Stanley Catron and Kaye Pop whose picture appears on the cover. The photographs of individual dance steps by Gjon Mili are sensational. Especially notable is a full page photograph on a black background of WillaMae and Leon both exuberantly jumping in mid-air. In my humble opinion, this picture should have been chosen for the cover of this issue as it is much more spontaneous and much less contrived than the one that does appear. In fact, this photo was used on the cover of the European edition.
MOVIES After Seben The Big Apple Call Of The Jitterbug Can't Top theLindyHop Cootie Williams Cottontail Day At The Races Chicago & All That Jazz Frankie Manning Instructional Videos Hellzapoppin' Hot Chocolates Jammin'the Blues Jittering Jitterbugs Killer Diller Malcolm X Manhattan Merry-Go-Round Outline Jitterbug Hist The Policy Man Radio City Revels The Spirit Moves Stompin' at the Savoy Swing Kids Swingin'at the Savoy Symphony in Black	Frankie Manning says of his longtime friend Willamae Ricker, "She was one of the greats of Lindy Hop... she was the soul and heart of the dance". He specifically notes her skill in doing all of the aerials, and her physical strength "to hold men up so they could shine". Although Willa Mae and her husband Lindy Hopper Billy Ricker were high school sweethearts and enjoyed a long and healthy marriage, they rarely danced together professionally. She partnered Leon James, Al Minns, Frankie Manning, Russell Williams and others. She won the first Harvest Moon Ball with Leon James in 1935.	During World War II, when so many of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers were serving in the armed forces, Willa Mae managed the Harlem Congeroos, considered Whitey's greatest group. When Frankie Manning returned from the Pacific in 1947, he took over the management and WillaMae continued as a dancer in the group, known simply as the Congaroo Dancers. During one of their annual summer-long gigs at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, she had to have an emergency hysterectomy. While Helen Daniels replaced her in the show, she followed her doctor's advice to rebuild muscle and stamina by daily jogging on the beach. She made a remarkable recovery and soon rejoined the show. After the break-up of the Congaroos in the late fifties, WillaMae enjoyed a career as a fashion model. She had always been a fashionable dresser and with her business savvy, she was able to make a successful second career in fashion.
BIOGRAPHIES *First Generation:* Shorty George LeroyStretchJones Twistmouth George *The Golden Age:* Whitey'sLindyHprs. Sandra Gibson	When Willa Mae died of cancer in the sixties, the romance had still not left her marriage to Billy, she never stopped dancing, and never lost the sweet disposition that made her the most beloved of the Lindy Hoppers. Willa Mae's Business Card Written by Judy Pritchett with Frank Manning. Copyright, 1995, 1996 May not be reproduced without written permission<judyp@savoystyle.org>. Last updated: 22 September, 1997 This Biography is also part of the World Lindy Hop Federation Archives maintained by Keith Hughes. Any information about obtaining permission to use this detail of Gjon Mili's famous photograph would be much appreciated.