Test 2 Flashcards
Acrobatic dance
Pre 1900, when blacks were hired for circuses, a blend of dance and tumbling evolved
In 1930’s, dancer turned to acrobatics for new ideas- knee pops, splits, slides, double around the world
Adele Astaire
Fred’s older sister
He began with her
They worked together in vaudeville and on Broadway
Fred only went out on his own after Adele retired to marry
Anything Goes
Most famous show of Cole Porter (music and lyrics)
Aubrey Lyles
Organized and conceived Shuffle Along with Flournoy Miller
Babes in Arms (1937)
- Music by Rodgers and Hart
- Story: children of vaudeville performers in a summer camp
- “Johnny One Note”, “My Funny Valentine”, “The Lady is a Tramp”
Ballin’ the Jack
• Railroad expression
o Jack = locomotive (indestructible donkey or jackass)
• Ballin’ – from high ballin’
o Trainman’s signal to start rolling
• Dance about “traveling fast and having a good time”
Bill Robinson
• Contribution to dance
o Brought tap up on the toes
o Clarity of taps
o Upright and swinging style
o Known for his stair dance
o Did not invent new stuff, but perfected the old
o Didn’t use the upper body and arms- influence lasted a long time
o Could sing and tell stories while dancing
o Helped critics begin to understand tap dance
• Started career as a pick
• Moved to vaudeville
• 1932- went to Hollywood
• 1935- costarred with Shirley Temple in The Little Colonel
• Made 14 films in his career
o only 2 did not play into black stereotypes
• Featured in several Cotton Club shows
• Was accepted into “high” places with the whites because of the respect for him as an artist
• Showed a side of himself to his black friends that whites didn’t see
o Somewhat manipulative and egotistical
• Nickname was Bojangles
Buck and Bubbles
• John “Bubbler” Sublet = John Bubbles o Was 10 when he teamed with 6 yr old Ford Lee “Buck Washington” o Team became “Buck and Bubbles • Buck on piano, Bubbles singing and dancing o Landed on Broadway in 1922 o Same act for 20 years What was unique about Bubbles’ style? • Great ad-libber • Into taps, not flash • Cut the tempo in half • Style became known as rhythm tap
Buddy Bradley
• Black choreographer
• Did not get much credit for his work
• Came up as a dancer in Harlem
• 1928- met Billy Pierce
o Hired Bradley to teach white stars
• Brought in to re-choreograph Greenwich Village Follies of 1928, but credit still given to Busby Berkley
• After this he prospered greatly
• Taught many stars
o Fred Astaire, Ruby Keillor
• Keys to his success
o New blend
o Revolutionary simplification
o Dances were “simpler in sound, more interesting visually”
o Jazz music was his inspiration
o Choreographed to accents, not the melody
• Created many dances for Broadway musicals in the 20s and 30s
o Dance directors known for groupings
o Many stars had coaches that didn’t get credit
• Never choreographed a white show in the US, but “patched many up”
• Had great success in London and other areas of Europe
• Worked with Massine, Balanchine, Ashton and did TV and film abroad
Charleston
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Copasetics Club
When Bill Robinson died in 1949, his friends created the Copasetics Club in his memory
Often said “it’s copasetic”
Darktown Follies
• Started in DC in 1911
• Moved to Lafayette Thatre in Harlem in 1913
o One of the first integrated theatres, considered higher class
• Started whites trek to Harlem for entertainment
• Due in great deal to John Leubrie Hill
o Wrote part of the book, designed costumes, made scenery, gathered cast
• 1st show to show love scenes between blacks, at the time it was taboo
• brought out a lot of dancing performers
o 2 tap dance pioneers
• Eddie Rector- forerunner of class acts in the 1930s
• Toots Davis- flash dancer, made over the tops and trenches popular
o “Texas Tommy”
• a famous dance in Darktown Follies
• Similar to Lindy Hop, but with added improve
• Tommy meant prostitute, but the dance wasn’t bad, just aerobic
• The Circle Dance gained most attention with entire cast to the song “At the Ball, That’s All”
o Some termed the song “Ballin’ the Jack”
o Made an endless chain on and off stage around curtain
• Finale included Cake Walk
• Dancers never paid well, but didn’t care because they got to perform and were inspired by Hill’s leadership and vision
• Florenz Ziegfeld purchases “At the Ball”, but didn’t hire any Darktown Follies dancers
Decline of he black shows on Broadway
• Even though these shows gave dance new life on Broadway…
o No black gained stardom
o Critics had difficulty understanding and appreciating the subtleties of their art
• Black shows declined as they lost what made them new
o White producers urged them to imitate white shows
• By the mid 20s, black shows were on the way our
o Business slump
o Hollywood- rumors of bankruptcy as “talkies” were on their way
o Vaudeville was dying out
• This was the training ground for Broadway
Development of the Lindy Hop
named after Charles Lindberg
Eccentric dancing
developed during the 1930’s
consisted of dancers with non-standard movements and individual styles
Contortionists, shake dance, snake hips
Eddie Rector
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Eubie Blake
Wrote music and lyrics for Shuffle Along with Noble Sissle
Flash dancing
• Tap dance acts that would ad lib acrobatics into their routines
Berry Brothers
Nicolas Brothers
Florence Mills
Performed in Shuffle Along
• Did pantomime
• Singing/dancing comedienne
Flournoy Miller
Organized and conceived Shuffle Along with Aubrey Lyles
Frank Condos
• Developed the 5 tap wing in the 30s
• Later teamed with his brother to make The Condos Brothers
• Toured Europe
• 1937- worked as a dance director
• 1952- became a shipyard welder
o not many performers were able to have long careers
Fred Astaire
“outlaw style” from ballroom, ballet, and tap
became perfectionist through disappointments
known for using his entire body in dancing
best known dancer of his time (film helped)
performed in over 30 movies
Most famous partner- Ginger Rogers, but also partnered with Eleanor Powell
His understated style worked well in film
Did much of his own choreography
George M. Cohan
• Born in Rhode Island on July 3rd
• Parents were vaudeville entertainers
• Became a Broadway star in Little Johnny Jones (1904)
o Wrote the score and book
o Directed and produced it
o Where he first performed “Yankee Doodle Boy”
• Another signature song came from show George Washington Jr. (1906)
o “The Grand Old Flag”
• A buck and wing dancer, but also became an author, composer, producer, director, actor, and singer
• Critics didn’t understand his success
• His new concepts of delivery, tempo, and American subject matter became more popular with American audiences than the English and German model
• Patriotism + Farce = George M. Cohan
George White’s Scandals
produced an annual revue called Scandals
later called “George White’s Scandals”
Harlem
• Originally exclusive white neighborhood, but things changed with real estate boom and bust
• Lafayette integrated right before Darktown Follies opened
o Considered higher class because didn’t present off color performances like those on the TOBA circuit
o Lincoln Theater, also in Harlem, did present off-color entertainers
• Both Lincoln and Lafayette started with stock companies showing versions of Broadway hits and melodramas
Hippodrome
- Built in 1905
- Cost $1,750,000
- Became home to many extravaganzas
- Was a tourist spot
- Hosted last show in 1939
Hoofers Club
- Next to the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem
- Adjacent to a comedy club/gambling joint
- Lonnie Hicks- proprietor
- Floor had to be replaced every 6-8 months
- Open 24 hours
- Young dancers learned from the pros
Irene and Vernon Castle
• Capitalized on dancing craze
• 1913- featured on Broadway in The Sunshine Girl
o did the Turkey Trot
• 1914- said that the Turkey Trot lacked elegance, so opened The Castle House, a studio to teach popular dances
o developed castle walk
o castle’s brought “safety and elegance” to dance
o made a list of commandments
• do not hop- glide
John Leubrie Hill
Known as the black George Cohan
Learned showbiz from Williams and Walker
wrote booke, designed costumes, made scenery, gathered cast, composed songs, located theaters, raised money, and played lead for Darktown Follies
Josephine Baker
- Dinging/dancing comedienne
- Started as chorus girl in back of the line
- Cut up and mugged the crowd
King Rastus Brown
• Looked up to at the Hoofer’s Club in the 1920s
• Known as the greatest
• Would show youngsters some steps
• All say he had many steps
• Known for his time step
o Stressed the 2nd and 4th beats- jazz influence
o Time step became the standard for setting tempo
Lafayette Theater
Integrated just before Darktown Follies opened
Was considered higher class because it didn’t present off color performances like on the TOBA circuit
Started out with stock companies showing versions of Broadway hits and melodramas
Gradually moved away from minstrel stereotypes
Lincoln Theater
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Lindy Hop
competitive
named after Charles Lindberg and his “hop” or flight across the Atlantic
Lonnie Hicks
Proprietor of the Hoofer’s Club, location prominent to the development of tap
Musical theater in the 1920’s
- Easy money of the 1920s led to the production of many revues with low values
- By 1927, the revue was dead
- As the revue became less popular, topical musical comedy shows became the norm
Musical theater in the 1930’s
Less money to put into shows
Shows didn’t run as long
Era of the MGM movie musical
People were not interested in European shows, were in search of American entertainment
Musical trend of the 1920’s
• Popular tunes of the 1920s had standard 32 bar length
o Led to breaking down into 4 parts, 8 bars each
o Each 8 bars were broken into 6 bars of time steps and 2 bars of solo or improv
Noble Sissle
Wrote music and lyrics for Shuffle Along with Eubie Blake
On Your Toes (1936)
- Book by George Abbot
- Music by Rodgers and Hart
- Choreography by George Balanchine
- Brought ballet to the musical comedy stage starred Ray Bolger
Pal Joey
- Top show for Rogers and Hart
- Main character taken from sketches in The New Yorker
- Gene Kelly played Joey
- Included song “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”
Revues
The revue was the most popular form of musical theater entertainment
• Florenz Ziegfeld continued to produce revues using many stars
o Fannie Brice
o W.C. Fields
o Will Rogers
• The Hippodrome produced mammoth vaudeville style revues
• Roof-garden restaurant theaters did after midnight business
• George White produced annual revues called Scandals and later called George White’s Scandals
Runnin’ Wild
- The Charleston was the dance “star” of the show
* Producer tried to stop it. He wanted it for Scandals instead
Savoy Ballroom
held dance marathons
Shim Sham Shimmy
standard dance
everyone would participate at the end of the show
meant to involve everyone
Shuffle Along
Show about the election race for mayor and the social aspiration of wives
• Organized and conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles
• Set a standard for black shows
• Set 16 girl chorus line that started a Broadway trend
• First good black musical to play white theaters coast to coast
• Made money, which helped later shows get backing
• Focused on black comedy, song, and dance
• Opened jobs for black performers
• Musical comedy took on new rhythm
• Chorus girls started learning to dance jazz
Texas Tommy
- a famous dance in Darktown Follies
- Similar to Lindy Hop, but with added improve
- Tommy meant prostitute, but the dance wasn’t bad, just aerobic
The Four Step Brothers
- Show that changed trends in acrobatic tap acts over 38 years
- 2 regulars- Al Williams and Maceo Anderson, other 2 spots alternated
- challenged dance was part of their act- each performed solo while others clapped
- Maceo was the clown of the group
The Great Depression
- Not interested in European shows, very much interested in American entertainment
- Less money
- Shows didn’t last that long
- MGM movie musical era
The Nicholas Brothers
o Fayard and Harold
o Started in radio in Philly on The Horn and Hardart Kiddie Hour
o Booked in theaters
o Moved to NYC to the Lafayette Theater
o Opened at Cotton Club when they were 14 and 8
o Did Pie Pie Blackbird, a short movie
o 1934- went to Holly wood and performed in Kid Millions and The Bid Broadcast of 1936
o On Broadway in Ziegfeld Follies and Babes in Arms
Time Step
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Toots Davis
flash dancer, made over the tops and trenches popular
Turkey Trot
Popular animal dance Easy to do • Controversial- one young woman was sent to jail • Dance was fast with marching • Arms pumped at sides like a turkey
Ziegfeld Follies
• Important figure in renewing energy of musical stage
• Son of old-school German musician
• Started in showbiz as manager of Sandow the strong man
• Met Anna Held (a singer) in London
o Became her manager and husband
• 1906- saw Follies Bergere in Paris and Anna convinced him to produce American revue modeled after it
o Follies of 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910
o Each more extravagant than the last
