The Tranky Doo (also called Trunky Doo) is a

jazz dance Jazz Dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in the early 20th century. Jazz Dance may allude to vernacular Jazz, Broadway or dramatic Jazz. The two types expand on African American vernacular styles of dance that ...

choreography Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

. A source states it was choreographed by

Frankie Manning Frank Manning (May 26, 1914 – April 27, 2009) was an American dancer, instructor, and choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founders of Lindy Hop, an energetic form of the jazz dance style known as swing. Biography Manning was b ...

himself and ″''...named in tribute to the chorus girl who inspired it.''″Frankie Manning - Ambassador of Lindy Hop At that time, it was danced to ''

Tuxedo Junction "Tuxedo Junction" is a popular big band song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, becoming a No. 1 hit in 1940. The music was written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash and the lyrics by Buddy Feyne. The song was introduce ...

'', however many modern day performances of the dance use other swing jazz songs. It is most common these days to perform the dance with the song " Dipsy Doodle" by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

because the dance appears in the '' Spirit Moves'' documentary film with a playback of the song. However the film originally had no sound, and the song "Dipsy Doodle" was artificially superimposed on that section of the film. Dipsy Doodle's structure does not fit the structure of the Tranky Doo, since the song is a 12-bar

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

structure and the choreography is 32-bar swing structure. It was common to

Lindy hop The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the African-American communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of ...

pers, like the

shim sham The Shim Sham Shimmy, Shim Sham or just Sham originally is a particular tap dance routine and is regarded as tap dance's national anthem. For today's swing (dance), swing dancers, it is a line dance. History In the late 1920s, when Leonard Reed ...

. Step List: Fall off the Log: Kick R on 8, L on 4 - (1) 8 count Shuffles: step R L R L on +8+1; side-press-lunges: step R on 2, press L on 3, step L on 4 press R on 5, etc. - (1)8 count ---- Repeat ---- Forward-press-lunges: Start facing R, step R on 8, press forward on 1, hold 2.3; step L on 4, press forward on 5, clap 6.7 - (1) 8 count Boogie Forward - (1) 8 count ---- Repeat ---- Apple Jacks - (2) 8 counts Rocks facing R - (1) 8 count Rocks facing forward - (1) 8 count Boogie Back - (1) 8 count Shorty George - (1) 8 count Boogie Back - (1) 8 count Break Step - (1) 8 count Knee Slap, ba-da-dum: Slap R knee on 8 hold for 1, step R L R on +.2.3; repeat to L and R once more. la Big Apple- (1.5) 8 counts Transition: Cross L over R on 4, step R on 6, clap 7 - (.5) 8 count Suzie Q: start L on 8 - (1) 8 count Reverse Break: Kick R across L on 8, rock step 2.3, lock turn 4.5.6.7 - (1) 8 count Mess Around - (1) 8 count Fall off the Log turning: Kick R on 8, perform 1/2 the Fall off the Log while turning to the left; plant feet together 3, spread 5, together with weight L on 7. End facing forward. - (1) 8 count Eagle Slide: Kick-ball-change step scoot step kick-ball-change lock turn. Timing is 8 + 1 2 3 4 5 + 6 7 8 Drop Boogie: R 1.2.3.4; L 5.6.7 together 8 - (1) 8 count Mambo Walks: Tap R on 2, cross over L on 3, tap L on 4, cross over R on 5, etc. - (1) 8 count Push Turn (paddle turn): Keep weight on L 1.2.3.4 while pushing out with R on 1 and 3, step R on 5, step L on 6, down on 7, kick R on 8 (turns 360 degrees) - (1) 8 count Fall off the Log turning: perform 1/2 the Fall off the Log while turning to the left; plant feet together 3, float back on R 4.5.6.7.8 - (1) 8 count Truckin': Start L on 1 - (2) 8 counts Float Back on R 1.2.3.4.5.6.7, step L on 8 - (1) 8 count Low Cake Walk - (1) 8 count Walk About - (2) 8 counts

Box Step Box step is a basic dance step named after the pattern it creates on the floor, which is that of a square or box. It is used in a number of American Style ballroom dances: rumba, waltz, bronze-level foxtrot. While it can be performed individual ...

: Start crossing L over R on 1 - (3) 8 counts Shouts: Pop hips Back 1.2, Forward 3.4, R 5.6, L 7.8 - (4) 8 counts Clap and Point: Start with weight on L, point R leg out on 1, clap as the knee comes up on 2, etc. - (4) 8 counts ---- ---- Repeat from the top until music ends.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Tranky Doo in "Spirit Moves" on YouTube
Lindy Hop Line dances