O’Neil was one of those dancers who blew people’s brains.
Acrobatic tap from the 1936 film Amuse Yourself.
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Women’s History Month 2013: Dorothy ‘Dot’ Johnson!
A tiny woman who partnered ‘Tiny’ Bunch in the 1938 film ‘Manhattan Merry-go-round’: watch a snippet here, and read more about Johnson at savoystyle.com.
Women’s History Month 2013: Norma Miller!
Norma Miller: author and lindy hopping queen.
I figured I needed to step up the politics a bit. Think I’ve got opinions? Norma’s got them all.
Also FUCK YEAH SISTERS GOT OPINIONS. And if you have a problem with that, you should probably just leave the internet. Walk out of your town, and into the wilderness, never to speak to another human being again.
Here’s Norma talking about making the film Hellzapoppin’, racism and running a dance troupe:
Miller and Leon James are the second couple in this sequence from Day at the Races (1937):
Miller (dancing with George Greenidge) is half of the sixth couple in the jam during the jitterbug contest section of Keep Punchin’ (1939):
Miller dances with Billy Ricker, as the second couple in the iconic scene from Hellzapoppin’ (1941):
Miller is in the Hot Chocolates/Cottontail (1941) soundie, but I’m not sure which dancer she is:
There are some interesting photos of Norma Miller, Frankie Manning and other dancers in the Getty Images collection.
[Once again I’m using Bobby’s article about iconic clips to identify dancers.]
Women’s History Month 2013: Jeanne Veloz!
Oh dear. I had meant to seek out new women this month, but I’ve just been up against it lately, without a spec of time to do research.
Jeanne Veloz is a west coast dancer, and she has her own website.
I like this video because it reminds me of The Vampire Diaries. Why choose, when you can have both? Rock on, Jeanne, rock on.
[nb the above image is from Jeanne Veloz’ website]
Jazz that nobody asked for
Women’s History Month 2013: Sugar Sullivan!
Happy International Women’s Day!
Today, a woman who particularly inspires/inspired me!
I was in this class with Sugar and Peter, and one morning early in the week Sugar self-corrected describing the leads as ‘he’ with the comment: “because these days girls lead too, and that’s alright!” I led in most of my classes that week, and she was one of the few teachers I’ve ever had who’s been so encouraging of women leads.
Oh, and she was also badass that week with the First Stops routine
…and of course, years ago!.
Women’s History Month 2013: Ginger Rogers!
Man, this is a busy week.
Here’s a repost because I am busy.
In the 1935 film ‘Roberta’.
(I love the band in this scene!)
Women’s History Month 2013: Dorothy Miller!
Crap! Nearly forgot to post!
Off to teach in a tick, so no time for more research.
First couple, dancing with Johnny Innis in A Day At The Races (1937):
Women’s History Month: Nina Mae McKinney!
Born Nannie Mayme in Lancaster, South Carolina in 1912, (passing away 3 May 1967), McKinney was a talented performer with a relatively short career. As with many of the big name black women stars of the period she could sing, dance, act, was a talented comedian… all that good stuff. She starred in Lew Leslie’s stage show Blackbirds of 1928, and there was discovered for the film Hallelujah!. She also starred in Safe in Hell (1931), Gang Smashers (aka Gun Moll 1938) The Devil’s Daughter (aka Pocomania 1939), and a number of other films (you can read more about those here).
There are some more excellent photos in Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films By Donald Bogle, which is a key work in American race and film studies (it’s dealing in large part with racial stereotypes in cinema).)
See Nina Mae McKinney dancing and singing in this excerpt from the 1929 film Hallelujah!:
wowsers
Golly, that last post was fierce.
You know you don’t really have to solo dance if you don’t want to, don’t you?