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Showing posts with the label Lee Moates

Chopping it Up: Having Fun and Reminiscing with Lindy Hop Great George Sullivan

George Who? Step Back; Kick, Double Kick…. That little ditty and cutey of a song was popularized in Harlem years ago for a Charleston “stop” routine, which later came to be known as “First Stops”.  Its song author is George Sullivan. George Sullivan has outlived many of his male legendary and famous peers of the late 1940’s/1950’s era of the Savoy Ballroom, but we are grateful he can tell so many of the missing links that greater Lindy Hop Land seems to neglect.  He got into Lindy Hop by accident – literally.  His wife had a bad fall with her then partner Delma “Big Nick” Nicholson.  Big Nick went on and got someone else for the upcoming Harvest Moon Ball, and George (a Non Lindy Hopper) volunteered to step in.   Sugar Sullivan laughed heartily at that notion, but low and behold they were on the stage at Madison Square Garden a few weeks later!  With more time, practice and determination (and a few years) they won the 1955 H...