Found 15 collections related to African American dancers

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 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

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

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

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

The Ralph Brown papers focus on the career of this tap dancer, with an emphasis on his performances in the 1980s. Among the documents are his public relations material and programs for the show 1000 Years of Jazz, when it toured nationally and internationally, and the special gala at Washington, D.C.'s Ford Theatre. Brown's performances in the Broadway and Paris productions of Black and Blue are represented by programs, reviews, contact lists, and associated material. A file discusses other tours in which he performed in France, 1983-1989. Programs (1930s-1988) for a variety of venues in which he appeared primarily in New York and France, contracts, and news clippings can also be found in this collection. less

Thaddeus Drayton (1893-1964) together with Rufus Greenlee (1893-1963), pioneered the "class act" tap style, which combined grace and elegance with precision soft-shoe tap dancing. Known as "Drayton and Greenlee," they wore top hats and tails, adding monocles and canes to their costume. They were among the few African Americans to play at the Palace Theater in New York on the vaudeville circuit during World War I. Their act broke up in 1930; Drayton then formed a dance act with Lucille Smith in the 1940s known as "Teddy Drayton and Lucille.". The Thaddeus Drayton collection documents portions of his career as a member of the tap dance team of Drayton and Greenlee (Rufus). Included are letters from W.C. Handy concerning a tribute honoring him and with song lyrics on the reverse (1950-1951), letters from composer/conductor Eva Jessye (1960), and letters from Germany and Russia in 1926. Programs from the Veteran's Camp in Mt. McGregor where Drayton performed in 1950, and from the Negro Actors Guild, mention his name. Of special interest is manuscript music from the Teddy Drayton and Lucille act. There are also song lyrics printed in Italian. less

The Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections (HAJMTC) were formed by over two hundred file-folder level collections (one-three file folders per personality or event). The collections contain information dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, and they document early dramatic actors, minstrel shows, vaudeville, musical revues, Broadway productions, and protest dramas, among others. In addition to actors, playwrights, singers, musicians, and dancers and the productions in which they appeared, there are collections for poets and visual artists. less

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 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

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

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