What it means to be old

Frankie Manning

"I have a hip replacement. I have a prostate removed. But I'm still moving and that's what counts." Manning is one of the original Lindy Hoppers from the Savoy ballroom in Harlem, and at the age of 89 he still teaches sold-out workshops all over the world. "I don't actually think about what I can do or what I don't do. I just do what I can and enjoy life."

Frankie danced in the reviews of Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and all the greats of the jazz and bebop era. He has lived long enough to see his art form go in and out of style several times. A whole new crop of devotees attend his birthday celebration every year, where he dances with as many women as his age. He often dances with two women at a time to meet his quota.

"I feel great that I am able to move around as well as I do at this age. I went to a senior citizens' center and gave a little show. I asked some of them to get up and do the shim-sham, which is a very simple dance. They were saying 'Oh no, I'm too old to do that,' and I started asking, 'Well, how old are you?' Somebody said, 'Oh, I'm 75,' and "Oh, I'm 72,' 'Oh, I'm 80.' I said, you know how old I am? I'm 89 years old. So don't tell me that. Get on up!"

Next Page: "Doctors ignore you entirely if you're old"

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