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:
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.
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).
She caught my eye because she has a really strong style, and she has darker skin, which is unusual in these films of black American women tap dancers of the period.
Here‘s an interesting photo story about African American women tap dancers.
LaRedd, Cora Singer and dancer. Raised on Broome Street; Broadway musical star (late 1920s-early 1930s); appeared in Messing Around with music by James P.Johnson at New York’s Hudson Theater (1929) and Hamtree Harrington and Albert Hunter in Changer Your Luck (1930); in her heyday, known for splashing her money around; led band in New York at one point; toured Europe several times; when her star fell, returned to Newark, playing Golden Inn and other clubs; according to Herald News reviewer (1939), “fell into Dodger’s and had everyone in stitches with her funny exchanges… a real trooper”; deceased.
Joe Gregory: “In our eyes, she was a star.”
Wesley Clark: “She had a beautiful body; she danced like a man. She was tough – a top dancer to come out of Newark.”
Bill Roberts: “She was very much a black woman who lavished her money on younger men. That’s what took her down.”
Jonah Jones (The World of Swing): “We [Jimmie Lunceford’s band] had a chance to come to New York [from Buffalo] and try out for a job, but we missed it because a girl called Cora LaRedd (primarily a vocalist) had a band they liked better.”
– Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50
By Barbara J. Kukl
If you’re looking for more information about LaRedd, you could try looking in French newspapers and magazines and film reels in the 20s and 30s. Maybe see if you can pin down her French tour(s) first with some browsing of visas and things.
LaRedd was a Cotton Club dancer, and there’s a reference to her in Duke Ellington and His World, By A. H. Lawrenc placing her in a production called It’s the Blackberries on 29 Sep 1929.
“Truckin'”, written by Ted Koehler (author of “Stormy Monday”) and Rube Bloom (author of “Fools Rush In”), was one of the most successful songs of 1935. A dance song full of whimsical sexual implications, it was introduced by Cora LaRedd in the twenty-sixth edition of the Cotton Club Parade at the Cotton Club in New York City, and was immediately recorded by many artists.”
I haven’t time for any more research, but if you’re curious, these tidbits should be enough to get you searching for playbills, magazine articles, reviews and footage from the period.
(another post I’ve just lifted from 2011 – late night, lots of DJing and dancing, feeling a bit too poop to be creative)
aka Mildred “Boogie” Pollard, aka Lindy hopper!
In Radio City Revels in 1938, Gibson’s in the second couple in the jam, but the first couple after the cut from the singer at the beginning (ie there’s another couple in the jam before Gibson and partner ‘Shorty’ Davis).
It’s women’s history month again, and I’m a bit slow off the mark (again).
The theme for the Australian Women’s History Month is ‘Finding Founding Mothers’, which is alright by me.
In 2011 I listed a different woman jazz dancer every day for WHM. And in 2012 I chose a different woman jazz musician. The musician one was hard, and didn’t really catch my interest. Because I’m so slack this year, I’m going to recycle my 2011 posts. And I’m going to look for more women, when I get time. There are just so many amazing women jazz dancers, it’s silly to just rehash the same 30. Especially when we need to remember MORE!
But for now, here are my two favourites. One for yesterday, and one for today, the 2nd March.
Florence Hill AND Bessie Dudley!
Here are some stills:
These are all stills from A Bundle of Blues, a short film starring Duke Ellington and his orchestra (including Ivie Anderson), Florence Hill and Bessie Dudley.
I can’t confirm this, but apparently Bessie Dudley worked with Snake Hips Tucker, and he gave her a black eye for doing his act.
Here is a photo of Bessie Dudley with Snake Hips Tucker:
I don’t have time to do more research (I say this every single year), but Dudley was a dancer at the Cotton Club, so if you’re curious, you could start there.
