The Dipsy Doodle by Chick Webb

Here is the song we all dance the Tranky Doo routine to.

This solo jazz routine was found by the swing dance revivalists in the documentary, Spirit Moves. Pepsi Bethel, Al Minns and Leon James all do this routine with music dubed over the top. I have not been able to find out if we know what song they were actually dancing to in these clips.

However over the years, after more videos come to light, and from interviews with old timers, it seems that these three were not the only choreographers of this routine. Frankie Manning has did say at one point that he had choreographed it, and there is old footage of him doing the first chorus of this routine. However it is seems that the second part of this routine may have come from Al and Leon. The final section with the repeated box steps, hip sways and knee slaps, was in all likelyhood improvised or added in very short notice as a way too fill in the music for some sort of performance.


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