During a dance contest in 1935, Manning and his partner, Frieda Washington, performed the first aerial in a swing dance competition against George Snowden, the inventor of the term Lindy Hop, and his partner, Big Bea. He frequented the Savoy in the 1930s, eventually becoming a dancer in the elite and prestigious "Kat's Corner," a corner of the dance floor where impromptu exhibitions and competitions took place. When he was older, he started going to Harlem's Savoy Ballroom, the only integrated ballroom in New York. Manning started listening to records on a Victrola in his bedroom and would practice dancing with a broom or a chair. Watching from the balcony, he was surprised to see his mother dancing formal ballroom styles such as foxtrot and waltz, having only seen her dance before in a much looser and casual style at neighborhood rent parties. In October 1927, Manning attended the Renaissance Ballroom & Casino.
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