Lesson plan
Congaroos
The Congaroos (also known as Four Congaroos, Congaroo Dancers) was a dance group created in 1947 by Frankie Manning after completing his military service for World War II. The group originally consisted of Frankie Manning dancing with Ann Johnson and Russell Williams dancing with Willamae Ricker. Later Helen Daniels joined the group and partnered Frankie Manning. The group performed Lindy Hop, Conga, jazz dance, tap dance, Latin dances, and comedy with musicians and vocalists such as Alvino Rey, Lucky Millinder, Illinois Jacquet, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Erskine Hawkins, Andy Kirk, Fletcher Henderson, and Cab Calloway. The group disbanded in 1955. For their final performance at a benefit in Philadelphia, Lionel Hampton refused to play the music for their act. Consequently, the Congaroos did not get a chance to rehearse and were forced to improvise their entire act to music that Lionel Hampton chose.
Article summary
The Congaroos (also known as Four Congaroos, Congaroo Dancers) was a dance group created in 1947 by Frankie Manning after completing his military service for World War II. The group originally consisted of Frankie Manning dancing with Ann Johnson and Russell Williams dancing with Willamae Ricker. Later Helen Daniels joined the group and partnered Frankie Manning. The group performed Lindy Hop, Conga, jazz dance, tap dance, Latin dances, and comedy with musicians and vocalists such as Alvino Rey, Lucky Millinder, Illinois Jacquet, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Erskine Hawkins, Andy Kirk, Fletcher Henderson, and Cab Calloway. The group disbanded in 1955. For their final performance at a benefit in Philadelphia, Lionel Hampton refused to play the music for their act. Consequently, the Congaroos did not get a chance to rehearse and were forced to improvise their entire act to music that Lionel Hampton chose.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.