Legend Returns To The Apollo

 NEW YORK -- Seventy-five years after winning her first Lindy-Hop dance contest at the famed and legendary Apollo Theater, eccentric, trailblazing, 90-years young Norma Miller returns to the Apollo main stage in grand style.  Sunday, Aug. 29,  Norma introduces two premiere screenings of QUEEN OF SWING - a documentary from Emmy-Award winning director John Biffar, narrated by co-producer and veteran actor Bill Cobbs.

Fifteen years in the making, QUEEN OF SWING is the unique and gripping tale of a black woman's adventure. Armed only with her own talent, music and dance, she broke down visible and invisible walls of discrimination and paved the way for groundbreaking integration around the world.

Dancer, actress, author, standup comedian, and Emmy award-winning choreographer are but a few titles on Norma's resume. QUEEN OF SWING takes the audience on a historical personal escapade from the 1930's black exodus toEurope, to witnessing the election of America's first black President.

Along the way we meet household legends of jazz: Bassie, Armstrong, Ellington, and others. Their music provided the pulse that fueled Norma and the rest of her Lindy Hoppers as they tore up dance floors around the world. According to Norma, the secret to her longevity and success can be summed up in a quote from her own mother: "When you ain't got a horse . . . you ride a cow." A simple philosophy but one that provided her a way to successfully navigate the restrictive corridors of segregation and replace it with an infectious spirit of love for all people.

Miss Miller's autobiography Swing, Baby, Swing chronicles the evolution of Swing in the 21st Century.  Swingin' at the Savoy—A Memoir of a Jazz Dancer recollects her youthful years with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday, Benny Goodman, Ethel Waters and many other jazz legends.  Her film credits include the Marx Brothers' DAY AT THE RACES (1938),  HELLZAPOPPIN'(1941), choreographer for MALCOLM X (1992), and CAPTIVA ISLAND (1994).

QUEEN OF SWING was produced by Dreamtime Entertainment and written and directed by Emmy award-winner John E. Biffar.  Biffar first met Miller after directing her on his 1994 feature film CAPTIVA ISLAND. QUEEN OF SWING is narrated and co-produced by veteran actor Bill Cobbs. The film was edited and co-produced by Emmy award-winner Dave Beaty. QUEEN OF SWING executive producer is Paul Bush.