Dean Collins

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Note: For the actor with the same name, see Dean Collins (actor).

Dean Collins (May 29, 1917 - June 1, 1984), [1] born Sol Ruddosky, was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swing. He is often credited with bringing swing dance, or Lindy Hop, from New York to Southern California. He is undoubtedly the most filmed Lindy Hopper in history with over 30 movie and short credits to his name. [2]

He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and started learning to dance at age fourteen along with his two older sisters. He was soon dancing at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York. In 1935, he was named "Dancer of the Year" by The New Yorker.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1936. He worked as a janitor at Simon's Drive-In Diner. At night, he danced at the Diana Ballroom and Casino Gardens. During this time, he adopted the name "Dean Collins". He popularized an original version of the Shim Sham, now called the Dean Collins Shim Sham.

His career started when he was hired by RKO pictures to choreograph the dancing in Let's Make Music, filmed in 1939 and released in 1940. He eventually danced in or choreographed nearly forty Hollywood movies, including the classic Hellzapoppin' (1941). He also taught dancing in Los Angeles from the 1930s until his death in 1984. During this time, he taught many people including Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford, Cesar Romero, Abbott and Costello, Sylvia Sykes, and Arthur Murray.

His style of Lindy Hop in the 1940s was characterized by smooth motions and tight footwork, as opposed to the outward kicks and horizontal posture of Harlem's Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. This style was the main source for what became known in the 1990s as Hollywood-style Lindy Hop. It is said Dean Collins did not believe in styles himself. He is supposed to have said, "There is no style, there is only swing." However, some dancers who knew Dean, such as the wife of fellow legendary dancer Willie Desatoff, claim both Dean and Willie saw West Coast as "an abomination to the dance floor."

Jewel McGowan was his dance partner for eleven years. She appears with him in Buck Privates (1941), "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (1942), and many other films.[3]