FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 21, 2004

CONTACT: JULIE McENROE
PHONE: (305)296-9694
E-MAIL: info@piratesinparadise.com

Jazz Legend and “Queen of Swing” Norma Miller
Celebrates 85th Birthday with Poolside Pirates Party and Reception at the Fairfield Inn By Marriott!

KEY WEST, FLORIDA . . . Mick Jones, Director of Sales of the Fairfield Inn By Marriott, is pleased to announce their resort is hosting a festive poolside birthday reception on Thursday, December 2, from 4 – 6 p.m., in honor of Norma Miller, who will be turning a young 85. Known to many as the “Queen of Swing,” Ms. Miller is an author, choreographer, dancer, comedian and actor whose career has spanned over 70 decades.

Honored with a 2003 National Heritage Award from the National Endowments of the Arts for her help in creating and continuing to preserve “the acrobatic style swing dance, known as the Lindy Hop,” Ms. Miller is the author of several books, including her biography, “Swinging at the Savoy: A Memoir of a Jazz Dancer.” Her recollections featured in Ken Burn’s Jazz documentaries provide a first hand account of the Harlem music and dance scene in the early 1930’s and 40’s.

Ms. Miller’s film credits include the Marx Brother’s “A Day at the Races and Hellzapoppin’; Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X”; Debbie Allen’s “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and John Biffar’s “Captiva”, filmed in Southwest Florida. In the sixties, she began working with Redd Foxx and later joined him on the 1970’s television series,

“Sanford and Son,” serving as both a stand up comic and choreographer. Ms. Miller’s second book, “Swing Baby Swing,” is due out next year, as is her film documentary, also titled “Swing Baby Swing”. Directed by Florida filmmaker John Biffar, the documentary features interviews with Bill Cosby, Debbie Allen, B.B. King, and Ruth Brown; and also showcases footage from last year’s Pirates in Paradise Festival (including the fireworks extravaganza Disney and Target Stores sponsored in commemoration of the DVD Release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.)

An official sponsor of Pirates in Paradise Festival 2004, the Fairfield Inn By Marriott invites all jazz/swing aficionados to join Miss Miller for an afternoon of music and comedy at their resort, located at 2400 North Roosevelt Boulevard. For those wishing to extend their stay in Key West and partake in other activities during the ten-day festival, including the Literature & the Sea Writer’s Workshop with Ms. Miller and author Randy White on Tuesday, November 30, the Fairfield Inn By Marriott is offering a “Pirates in Paradise Festival” package. For more information on these events and for accommodations in Key West, visit the resort’s website at www.FairfieldInnKeyWest.com or call 305-296-5700. For more information on Pirates in Paradise Festival 2004 and a complete schedule of festival events, call (305) 296-9694, or visit www.PiratesInParadise.com.