Google honors legendary swing dancer in doodle - CNET

Yes, I know it's not 1996, but the folks at Google still think that swing dancing is cool.

That's why Google is honoring the 102nd birthday of one of the great iovators in swing dancing, Frankie Maing. Today, Google has made its doodle, created by Nate Swinehart, one that celebrates Maings' acrobatic style, showing dance partners jumping and spiing around the Google logo.

It all started one moing in 1929 when Frankie Maing, who was only 15 years old at the time, passed the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem on his way to Sunday school, according to Google's explanation of today's doodle. He decided to take dance lessons, and from there he changed swing dancing forever.

Maing, known as the Ambassador of the Lindy Hop, a popular dance started in Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s, put his own "spin" on the dance so to speak, as "the first person to take swing from the dancefloor to the air above it," Google explains.

Google frequently updates its "doodles," which are fun changes to the Google logo, to celebrate holidays, aiversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists. The doodle has been around since Google's earliest days and the company now has a whole team of engineers and illustrators dedicated to creating them. More than 2,000 Soodles have been created over the years, Google says. Google takes pitches for doodles from the public, so if you've got a good one, email [email protected].