Willa Mae Ricker

Willa Mae Ricker (née Briggs; April 7, 1910 - June 1978) was a prominent American Lindy Hop and jazz dancer and performer during the 1930s and 1940s with the Harlem-based Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. She was known for her physical strength, fashion sense, dependability, business acumen, and passion to dance. According to Norma Miller, Ricker was the first dancer to stand up to Herbert "Whitey" White, demanding fair pay.

While many sources state that Willa Mae died in the sixties, she actually died in June 1978 of cancer. Willa Mae enjoyed a long and successful career alongside her husband. She never stopped dancing or lost her sweet disposition that made her one of the most beloved of the Lindy Hoppers.

During World War II, Ricker managed the Harlem Congaroos, a sub-group of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers formed from the premiere dancers. When Frankie Manning returned from the Pacific in 1947, he took over as management and Willa Mae continued dancing in the group, which then became known as the Congaroo Dancers. During one of the groups annual summer-long gigs at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, Willa Mae had to have an emergency hysterectomy. Helen Daniels replaced her in the show until she was able to rebuild her muscle and stamina. After the Congaroos broke up in the late fifties, Ricker took on a career as a fashion model. As she had always been a fashionable dancer with a good sense of business, she was able to make her second career in fashion.

Over Willa Mae careers she had been featured in many films. She was featured in A Day at the Races (1937), Hellzapoppin' (1941), Hot Chocolates (1941), Killer Diller (1948), and The Spirit Moves (1950). In 1943, She and partner Leon James were featured in a photo essay in the August 23 issue of Life, demonstrating aerials.

In the late 1930s, Willa Mae married her high school sweetheart, and fellow Whitey's Lindy Hopper, Billy Ricker. The couple rarely danced together professionally and remained together happily for the rest of their lives.