Dean Collins

Dean Collins ( * May 29, 1917, † June 1, 1984; actual name Sol Ruddosky ) was an American dancer, teacher, choreographer and innovator of swing. He is often credited with bringing the Swing or Lindy Hop from New York to southern California. He is the meistgefilmte Lindy hop dancer.

Collins grew up in Newark and began to learn to dance as a fourteen- year-old with his two older sisters. Soon he was dancing in Harlem Savoy Ballroom. In 1935 he was named the New York Dancer of the Year.

1936 Collins moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a watchman at night in Diana Ballroom and danced in the Casino Gardens and grew his stage name. He made a version of the Shim Sham popular, which is now called the Dean Collins Shim -Sham.

In Los Angeles, Collins taught from the 1930s to dance. He had his breakthrough when he was hired by RKO Pictures for the choreography in the film Let's Make Music ( 1940). Overall, choreographed and danced in almost forty Hollywood films, including the classic Hellzapoppin ' ( 1941). Under Collins ' students are Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford, Cesar Romero, Sylvia Sykes and Arthur Murray.

• Dancer
• Choreographer
• Americans
• Born 1917
• Died in 1984
• Man