![Google Doodle of Frankie Manning](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/frankie-mannings-102nd-birthday-5160522641047552-hp2x.gif?w=2400&quality=85)
By Nash Jenkins
A new Google Doodle unveiled on Thursday celebrates, what would have been the 102nd birthday of Frankie Manning, the American dancer and choreographer who pioneered the Lindy Hop — a frenetic, almost gravity-defying dance that became a hallmark of Harlem jazz clubs in the early 20th century.
Manning, who was born on May 26, 1914, and died seven years ago at the age of 94, was a jazz sensation, traveling the world and appearing in several films performing his dance. He described the dance — though “feat” is perhaps a better word — as a “series of three-minute romances,” according to Google.
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