Norma Miller Chats with Voices of the Jazz Era Ballroom
We caught up with the celebrated dancer, performer and comedienne Norma Miller on her recent book tour to chat about her memories of dance, VJEB which she was kind enough to promote, and about all of the many things that still keep her swinging at 90-years-young. Norma was an original Savoy Ballroom dancer and one of the early innovators of Lindy Hop. Her film credits include some of the most iconic sequences in swing, such as A Day at the Races (1937), Hellzapoppin' (1941), and Hot Chocolates (1941).
Norma, simply put, is a force of nature. At 90 she's doing more, and has more to say than most people a quarter her age. She told us about everything from entertaining guests at her mother's rent parties in the 1920's to her experiences of bringing lindy hop to Europe as a 15-year-old in 1935. Any musicians watching will surely love her tales about smuggling American jazzmen through Europe before big band swing had truly made the full leap across the pond. She also talks about the hard times--moving around when rent couldn't be paid, WWII, segregation.
Nowadays Norma is sharing the dances she loves with a new generation. Inspired by Michelle Obama's efforts to curb childhood obesity and promote youth fitness, Norma is pushing for dance in the curriculum of school children as the kind of joyful exercise that stays with you for life. She also recently authored a book about the history of swing, called Swing Baby Swing, and is the subject of the recent documentary The Queen of Swing. It was a joy speaking with her, and we wish her well with her many projects.