Found 41 collections related to African American dancers

Nanette Bearden (née Rohan) was a fashion model, dancer, and founder of the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre. The Nanette Bearden Papers document some aspects of Bearden's personal life and her careers as a fashion model and dancer/choreographer. less

The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC) is a non-profit organization based in Brooklyn, New York, whose mission is supporting Black performers and providing community access to dance. The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center records, which date from the 1920s to 2019, trace the institution's cultural significance through administrative records, performance video footage, photographs, promotional material, and awards files. less

Gus Solomons Jr. is an African-American dancer, choreographer, teacher, and writer. Solomons was a soloist in the dance companies of Donald McKayle, Pearl Lang, Martha Graham and, most notably, Merce Cunningham. Solomons formed his own troupe, The Solomons Company/Dance in 1972. Twenty-four years later in 1996, Solomons founded Paradigm to celebrate mature artists on stage. The collection includes correspondence, Solomons articles, notes and notebooks, photographs, posters, drawings, audio and moving image materials. less

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, established in 1982 by American dancer/choreographers Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, has performed worldwide in over 200 cities in 40 countries. The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company records document the work of the Company and its creators from 1970 to 2016. The collection contains dance and sound cue sheets, lighting and stage plots, photographs, programs, correspondence, posters, sheet music and lyrics, financial and legal documents, and audio and video recordings. less

The Changing Times Tap Dancing Company collection documents the activities and contributions put forward by its founder Jane Goldberg. Since 1979 Goldberg has preserved, promoted, and performed the dance form while paying respect to its most important key tappers such as Charles "Cookie" Cook, Albert "Gip" Gibson, Bubba Gaines, and Ernest "Brownie" Brown. The collection contains articles written by and about Goldberg, newsletters, educational papers, tap history profiles, programs, correspondence, administrative records, publicity materials, photographs, and posters. Many of Goldberg's allies in producing original tap shows and festivals, including Brenda Bufalino and Sarah Safford, are represented throughout in interviews, scripts, and programs. Additionally, photographs and correspondence provide a portrait of the professional and personal friendship Goldberg shared with Gregory Hines during tap's "revival" of the mid 1970's through 2003. The collection also includes programs and drawings from Jane Goldberg's early life including school musicals and dance recitals, as well as personal photographs from throughout her life. less

Ernest Truesdale, whose stage name was Tad Truesdale, was a dancer, choreographer, actor, writer, producer, and director. This collection primarily documents the performer's professional career and includes biographical information, playscripts, news clippings, reviews, programs, correspondence, and financial records. less

The Hillman family papers provide documentation on the performance careers of four members of this family. Included are a notebook containing George A. Hillman's monologues and news clippings discussing the vaudeville performances of George and his wife, Ethel Riddick Hillman, and scrapbooks of news clippings and programs illustrating the tap dancing careers of their sons, George I. and Christopher Hillman, known as the Hillman Brothers, (1930s-1940s). Another scrapbook provides information about George I. Hillman's performance in Curley McDimple (1968). less

William Moore, an African American dance critic, dancer, and researcher, began his career in the 1960s. He later managed the dance companies of Eleo Pomare and Joan Miller, and participated in the creation of the Association of Black Choreographers in 1967. In 1975, he founded Dance Herald, a journal about Black dance. Moore also lectured on dance history and criticism at Lehman College and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. The William Moore papers consist primarily of appointment books (1966-1980) in which Moore noted his activities; some letters; writing and notes; a resume; and an annotated treatment for a documentary film by Kermit Frazier entitled The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance (1988). less

The Mura Dehn Collection documents Mura Dehn's professional life as dancer, choreographer, scholar and filmmaker, and to a lesser degree, her personal life through notebooks, poetry and correspondence. Most important are the research notes and drafts of her many scholarly writings on the development of Afro-American social dance in this country. less

George Weston papers consist of correspondence, writings, printed material, and clippings concerning his career, theology, and politics. One folder pertains to the Pro-Lad Paint company (Africa's Shadow Type Progressive Ladder Paint, Ltd.) and a paint to be made in Antigua especially for tropical climates. Biographical article on Weston by Lionel M. Yard, 1975, and sheet music and words by Weston for "Climbing Africa's Ladder." The Maudelle Weston series include programs and clippings pertaining to Mrs. Weston's career as a dancer during the 1940s-1960s. less

Edith Spencer was an international singer and dancer who appeared in vaudeville, the theatre and in nightclubs during the 1920s and 1930s. She appeared in the Broadway productions of "Runnin' Wild," "Rarin' to Go," and succeeded Florence Mills in "Shuffle Along." Her performances included club engagements and appearances from New York to Los Angeles, London, Paris, and the Far East. After "Shuffle Along" closed, Lottie Gee and Spencer became partners and formed a sister act that was followed by the addition of Allegretti Anderson. The trio was alternately billed as the Harmony Trio, the Creole Beauties, and the Three Dark Sisters. The Edith Spencer Scrapbook documents Spencer's entertainment career and her subsequent employment as a real estate agent. The contents include newspaper clippings, flyers and a photograph of Spencer, Gee and Anderson. less

Florence Mills (1886-1927), world renowned entertainer during the 1920s. She starred in Lew Leslie's Plantation Revue and Blackbirds after a successful run as the lead in Shuffle Along. Collection contains personal papers that include biographical information and letters; and professional papers, including letters, contracts and printed materials. less

D'Lana Lockett (1961-2006) was a tap dancer, dance instructor, and dance researcher who began research on a book on African American female tap dancers. The D'Lana Lockett research files contain correspondence, notes, typescript drafts, and photographic prints and negatives regarding the performers Lockett researched for her book. less

Walter Nicks (1924-2007) was an American dancer, choreographer, and educator. The Walter Nicks papers date from 1899 to 2004 and document Walter Nicks' career as a choreographer, educator, and director of the Walter Nicks Dance Theatre Workshop. The collection holds professional files, photographs, slides, programs, articles, and posters. less

Joseph Attles (1903-1991) was a singer and dancer whose career spanned six decades. The bulk of his collection consists of playscripts for shows that Attles appeared in, including Bubbling Brown Sugar by Loften Mitchell, C & W, John Henry, Jericho-Jim Crow, Prodigal Son, Troupers, and Do Lord Remember Me by James de Jongh. The collection also includes: correspondence, both professional and personal; contracts and financial documents; programs of productions Attles appeared in; lyrics; and clippings related to both himself and other show business personalities. less

The American Negro Ballet Company scrapbook consists of news clippings and programs about the company founded by Eugene van Grona. Included are reviews of its performances in New York City and Brighton, England, in 1937 and 1938; and programs for the ANB and Lew Leslie's "Blackbirds" of 1939, which featured dances choreographed by van Grona. A program and a news clipping refer to performances honoring the company, 1981 and 1983. less

Jonnie Greene (1929-) is a retired American performing arts critic who directed two dance symposiums, Rethinking the Balanchine Legacy and Classic Black, at the New York Public Library in the 1990s. The Jonnie Greene papers date from the 1930s to 2000 and primarily document these symposiums and Dance Critics Association conferences with interview transcripts, photographs, grant proposals, correspondence, programs, and audio and video recordings. less

Charles "Cookie" Cook, a vaudeville tap and acrobatic dancer and teacher for more than fifty years, began performing as a child with Garbage and the Two Cans and Sarah Venable and Her Picks. In 1930, he and Ernest (Brownie) Brown formed the headline dance and comedy team Cook and Brown. Their act, seen in such venues as New York's Cotton Club, combined tumbling, dance, and comedic patter. Cook was one of the members of The Copasetics, the fraternity of black entertainers that was influential in the revival of tap dancing in the late 1970s-1980s. Cook also performed in the film Cotton Club, at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and at a 1990 tap festival in New York He died at age 77 in 1991. The Charles "Cookie" Cook Collection is actually a scrapbook that has been dismantled. The material focuses primarily on Cookie's later years with few primary source documents. There are several letters, telegrams, and postcards expressing appreciation for his performances, but no letters written by Cook. The collection also includes programs for performances in which Cook appeared, especially with the tap dance group The Copasetics in New York City, and other venues in the United States and Rome (1980-1995), as well as flyers advertising for a variety of performances in which Cook was featured (1961-1979). There are also programs for shows where jazz musicians, singers, and other artists appeared, in addition to news clippings discussing Cook, other tap dancers, and entertainers. less

The Pete Nugent papers (1928-1973) provide a glimpse into Nugent's career as a tap dancer. The collection contains correspondence with Mamie McDowell, photographs, Nugent's passport and address book, an announcement for the opening of his dance studio, financial records, and other ephemera. Two folders pertain to This is the Army and include photographs, a program, and a list of cast members. Photos, contracts, correspondence, and a business card reflect Nugent's time as manager of the Temptations. Several items are inscribed to Nugent's older brother Richard Bruce Nugent, a Harlem Renaissance painter and writer. less

The Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre was a non-profit dance company that supported and promoted the work of dancers, choreographers, and theatre artists of color. The company's records date from 1976 to 2007, and consist of administrative papers, promotional materials, photographs, and video recordings. less

This collection contains files of biographical material; correspondence; articles written by and about Chanticleer; his fashion drawings; assorted programs from events in which he participated; material related to his role as the executive director of The Learning Tree; and material related to the African-American Wax and History Museum. less

The Djola Branner papers, 1983-2010, document his personal life and professional career as a writer, poet, dancer, choreographer, actor, and educator. The collection reflects how his identity and experiences as a gay Black man informed much of his creative work. less