Dean Collins (dancer)

Note: For the actor with the same name, see Dean Collins (actor).

Dean Collins (born Sol Ruddosky; May 29, 1917–June 1, 1984) [1] was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swing. He is often credited with bringing Lindy Hop from New York to Southern California. Collins worked in 37 or 38 films as well performing live and on television.[2]

He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and, at age 13, learned to dance from his two older sisters.[3] and quickly began "doing amateur contests in Newark".[2] He was soon dancing at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York. In 1935, he was named "Dancer of the Year" by The New Yorker.[4]

He moved to Los Angeles in 1936. He worked as a janitor at Simon's Drive-In Diner. At night, he danced at the Diana Ballroom and Casino Gardens. Worried that his Jewish name would hinder his career, he adopted the name "Dean Collins", derived from a wallet he found.[5]

His career started when he was hired by RKO pictures to choreograph the dancing in Let's Make Music, filmed in 1939 and released in 1940.[6]

In 1942 he appeared in the Soundies The Chool Song released 3/23/42. He and his partner were billed as "Collins and Colette", and music was recorded by Spike Jones.[7]

He eventually danced in or choreographed nearly forty Hollywood movies, including an appearance in the classic Hellzapoppin' (1941). He also taught dancing in Los Angeles from the 1930s until his death in 1984.[8] During this time, he taught many people including Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford, Cesar Romero, Abbott and Costello, Jonathan Bixby, Sylvia Sykes, and Arthur Murray.[5]

Dean's wife Mary believes that he contributed a unique, smoothed out style that eliminated the bounce. According to jazz dance researcher Peter Loggins, Dean's style changed and evolved over the decades, returning toward the end of his life to the Lindy Hop he learned in the Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s.[5]

The Collins style seen in Hollywood films was the main source for what became known in the 1990s as Hollywood-style Lindy Hop.[6]

He also created his own version of the Shim Sham,which was meant as a 3 man performance, and was not taught or shared. Jack Arkin, and Johnny Mattox were the original performers along with Dean. Later,in Dean's life Bobby Hefner and Bart Bartolo would perform it as well. Today, it is done by dancers around the world.

Collins is often mentioned in discussions of origin of West Coast Swing, a title he always denied. But there is no question the seed he planted, became an extremely popular style. building throughout the 1940s until 1959 when the term "westcoast swing" is used by Arthur Murray studio in Fullerton, California. This term change was to separate themselves from Fred Astaire who like them had been using the term "Western Swing", and they believed people confused it with the music.

When his wife, Mary Collins, was asked if he was responsible for the emergence of the dance, however, she said that Dean insisted there were "only two kinds of swing dance - good and bad".[9]

Jewel McGowan, called by her contemporaries the "greatest female swing dancer ever", was his dance partner for eleven years.[10] She appears with him in Buck Privates (1941), Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942), and many other films.[11]

References

  1. ↑ California Death Records
  2. 1 2 Lindy by Lanza. (Dancer’s Odyssey) from Brooklyn to Hollywood 1939 - 1963. Joe Lanza. 2001. page 79.
  3. ↑ Swing Dancing's King. Los Angeles Times. Dean Stewart. August 5, 1984. page 45.
  4. ↑ Dance Spirit. "The Dean of Style". Kiku Loomis. June 2001. page 83
  5. 1 2 3 Dance Spirit. "The Dean of Swing". Kiku Loomis. June 2001. page 83.
  6. 1 2 Dance Spirit. "The Dean of Swing". Kiku Loomis. June 2001. page 83
  7. ↑ The Soundies Distributing Corporation of America: a history and filmography of their "jukebox" musical films of the 1940s. Terenzio, MacGillivary, Okuda. 1954. page 72. ISBN 0-89950-578-3 "The King's Men" are listed as members of the cast.
  8. ↑ http://www.swingdancecouncil.com/halloffame2.html
  9. ↑ http://www.swingdancecouncil.com/halloffame2.html#carey Swing Dance Hall of Fame Dean Collins
  10. ↑ name="Dance Spirit 2001. page 83".
  11. ↑ http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0569655/ Jewel McGowan at Internet Movie DataBase

External links

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