Roxane Due Professor David Popalisky Final Paper: Savoy Ballroom 03-16-03

Savoy Ballroom: A place where African Americans Shined

Many clubs have been named after the famous Savoy Ballroom located at 596

Lenox Avenue, between West 140th Street and West 141st Street, in Harlem, New York.

These clubs can be found in Boston, Chicago, California, and many other places. But the

Savoy ballroom in Harlem was known as the world's most beautiful, famous ballroom.

The Savoy has been called many different things; "The World's Most Beautiful

Ballroom", "The Home of Happy Feet," and later as "The Track", but it all comes down to one thing, the Savoy Ballroom was a dancer's paradise.

After the Civil War African Americans left the South. The failure of the

Reconstruction, the establishment of the Ku Klux Klan, and Jim Crow led to begin the migration to the North. World War I and the stoppage of European Immigrants opened up jobs. The growth of the KKK and the poor cropping grounds gave African Americans even better excuses to continue migration. Many black Americans migrated to northern cities such as Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. By 1930 200,000 blacks populated Harlem. "The rise in the African American population coincided with over development of Harlem by white entrepreneurs. In 1907 four hundred and fifty tenements were built in Central Harlem at 135street for white tenants. When whites began to pass

Harlem for the Bronx and Washington Heights this area was opened to black renters and buyers." As blacks continued to leave many brought all they had. Music and dance followed them. In the 1920’s the Harlem Renaissance was celebrating Black culture through an explosion of music, art, dance and poetry. It was a time when black and white

Americans alike "discovered" the vibrancy and uniqueness of black art, dance, music, and especially, literature.

In the South Blacks had jook joints or houses in which they showed off their many lively dances such as the Big Apple, Black Bottom, the Charleston, Shimmy,

Ballin’ the Jack, and the Mooche. When Blacks arrived in the city they discovered that if they wanted to have a good time then the ballrooms were the place to be. "New dances were invented at the Harlem ballrooms: the Savoy, the Renaissnce, the

Alhambra.." The Savoy being the greatest of them all.

Moe Gale, a Jewish man in the finance business, began looking for something that he could enjoy and at the same time make money. He saw that business was booming for

Broadway’s famous Arcadia and Roseland Ballrooms and Gale thought of opening a

Ballroom that would be so successful that he would make millions.

Charles Buchanan, a black man in real estate, also wanted to change his profession and was seeking a future in the world of entertainment. Both men were going to give Harlem a luxury ballroom that would act as a substitute for the many thousands who wished to dance in an environment of tasteful elegance, rather than in the small, stuffy, and foul- smelling halls or nightclubs.

Moe Gale, and Charles Buchanan opened the Savoy Ballroom on March 12, 1926.

The name Savoy was chosen because it exemplified all the elegance of beautiful palaces and descriptively symbolized the extravagance, glitter, charm and friendliness of the Savoy Ballroom, which was presented to dance and music lovers who sought wholesome recreation and entertainment in Harlem.

The Savoy Ballroom was on the second floor of a two-story building stretching the entire block. The ground floor of the building held the entrance to the ballroom at the center of the block signified by the marquee extending out over the sidewalk. The spacious basement checkrooms could serve up to 5,000 patrons with swift and efficient ease. Known as the "World's finest ballroom," the Savoy was complete with large luxurious carpeted lounges and mirrored walls. The block long ballroom had two bandstands, colored spotlights and a spring-loaded wooden dance floor. The interior consisted of a large dance floor of approximately 200 by 50 feet, and a retractable stage.

Marble stairs were sandwiched between mirrored walls. The springy dance floor bounced from the dancer's feet. The mahogany spring-loaded wooden dance floor had to be completely replaced every three years because of the beating the floor took every night under the dancing feet of the Savoy's many patrons.

Some of the best ever bands and singers graced the two double bandstands. There were many house bands that played the most energetic music that kept dancers on the dance floor such as Fess Williams, Chick Webb, Erskin Hawkins and Al Cooper's Savoy

Sultans to name a few, but there were many more. The two bandstands allowed continuous live music all night. On special occasions, the ballroom booked two bands, which played alternate sets, and this policy led to the Savoy becoming a famous venue for the "Battle of the Bands". These battles would bring out thousands of people. Many would be standing out in the street waiting to set foot in the Savoy and see the greatest dancing and hear the best music. The Savoy would get the same bands that would play at the Cotton Club. Some musicians such as the great Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway,

Duke Ellington, Fess Williams and Chick Webb all graced the Savoy stage. In 1931 the

Chick Webb Orchestra established the title of "house band." Ella Fitzgerald was a instant success in the Savoy. She joined the Chick Webb Orchestra and whooed and wowed the crowds with her talent and explosive voice. She recorded 60 songs with the band over the next three years.

The Savoy was known for its great dancers. People of all races came to see the dancer dance the night away. “Shorty” George Snowden was the top dancer in the Savoy

Ballroom. “Shorty George" had is own dance where he bent his knees, swinging from side to side, and exaggerated how close he was to the ground. Count Basie A great singer wrote a song that became a hit called "Shorty George". Snowden is often given credit for giving Lindy Hop its name. Many of the best dancer would join dance marathons and in one particular charity dance marathon in New York City in 1928 "Shorty George" broke away from his partner and improvise a few steps in a style that was popular in Harlem. In 1928 Charles Lindbergh's triumphant "hop" across the Atlantic had just taken its place in the history books and in all the newspapers. A new reporter asked "Shorty George" “What was that?" Snowden thought for a few seconds and replied, "The Lindy Hop." Frankie Manning was also another well-known dancer at the Savoy. Manning can be credited for inventing the air step. Manning first air step involved his partner starting out on his back and then she flipped over his head and landed on the ground. Shorty was defeated by Manning in a competition when Manning introduced this first air step in

1935. Manning then replaced Snowden as reigning “King of the Savoy.” The best dancers would hang out together in the corner of the Savoy, known as "Cats Corner."

“Only the elect were allowed to sit or dance there” (Stearns 322) Shorty George was apart of the Cats Corner at the Savoy ballroom. Herbert "Whitey" White was the brainchild of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. White was a former boxer who became a bouncer at the Savoy Ballroom. Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was formed from the best dancer of the

Savoy. With White’s entrepreneurial skills, and the best young dancers in Harlem the

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers gained world recognition through both live performance and film. Their swing dances made permanent impact on the dance styles of the United

States, Europe, and many other countries. The Savoy was known for their best Lindy Hop dancers in the Nation.

While their were many well know white clubs like the Cotton Club many of them only welcomed blacks to perform or the would only let blacks dance in a certain places in the ballroom. So when the Savoy opened it welcomed all. Blacks, whites and Hispanics were all welcomed in the Savoy and were able to see the best dancers. The Savoy allowed inter-racial dancing of Blacks and Whites, which was really frowned upon by both races at the time at other ballrooms, but not the Savoy. Because of the Savoy ballroom African American shined.

Bibliography 1. Marshall and Jean Stearns, Jazz Dance: The story of American vernacular Dance. First Da Capo Press edition , 1994

2. Lynne Fauley Emery , Black Dance from 1619 to Today. Princeton Book Company, Publishers, 1988

3. Sonny Watson, “The Savoy Ballroom” http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/d5savoy1.htm ©www.StreetSwing.com

4. Brother William J. Sherlog, “HARLEM STUDIES” http://www.geocities.com/wjscfc/