I share this information with great excitement:
A Chinese translation of Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop is underway!
The project has been in the planning stages since November 2016, and is coming to fruition thanks to the vision and persistence of Zeng Weiming (dance teacher, co-organizer of Swing Beijing, owner of Cats Corner Beijing), Nancy Qin (dancer, coordinator), Johnny Tu (dancer, publisher), and Effie Yang (dancer, translation team leader). This stellar group has teamed up to oversee all aspects of the project, from arranging a contract with Temple University Press (recently signed), to translating the text, to acquiring rights for photographs, to overseeing production and distribution of the final product. The quartet will lead a team of twelve volunteers in what will surely be a labor of love for all concerned, and I’m delighted to be supporting their efforts.
Photo taken at World Lindy Hop Day Singapore Celebrations, 2018. Left to right:Sing Lim, Frankie’s book, Weiming Zeng, Chen Qing, Wanyuan Li (in front, on floor), Lynn. (Suzie and Lynn are on the translation team. Weiming and Beibei are on the publishing team). Many thanks to Sing Lim for the photo and caption.
This is the fourth foreign edition of Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Frankie and I were both able to consult with the translator/publisher of the first, a French version that actually released on April 27th, 2009, the day he passed. Frankie felt so honored to be able to share his life story with French-speaking dancers, and I know he would be equally thrilled about the Japanese, Italian, audiobook, and now Chinese editions.
In addition to the four project managers and volunteers, I’d like to thank the following:
Nikki Miller, Rights and Contracts Coordinator at Temple University Press
Sing Lim and Chong Chan Meng for their ongoing support and guidance
Judy Pritchett and the entire Frankie Manning Foundation board for their support of Zeng as a participant in our Ambassador program
Frankie and I both thought the book was finished when we submitted the manuscript. But we soon learned that the cycle of communication wasn’t complete until the audience read it. The icing on the cake was hearing that readers found the book to be informative and entertaining, which were our goals exactly.
I know that I also speak for Frankie in saying that I hope Chinese-speaking Lindy hoppers will enjoy reading his autobiography as much as he enjoyed living that long life, that it inspires them as dancers and people, and that its publication contributes to the wonderful dance scene that has been lovingly nurtured and taken root in China.
Cynthia Millman Co-author with Frankie Manning of Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop
P.S. If anyone is interested in producing other translations, please contact me via the FrankieManningFoundation.org contact page or FrankieManning.com.
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