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American Negro Ballet Company

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Al Bledger
American Negro Ballet, 1938

The American Negro Ballet Company, also known as the von Grona Ballet,[1] was formed in 1934 under the auspices of Eugene Von Grona, a German dancer and choreographer, who was fascinated by Black culture and dance.[1][2][3] The company performed classical ballet pieces, as well as modern dance works.[4]

History

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Performances

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The American Negro Ballet had its debut performance at the Lafayette Theatre on November 21, 1937.[1][3][5][6] Dean Dixon conducted[2] an all-Negro orchestra that accompanied the opening night program. [7] The dancers performed to Bacchanalian Children of the Earth (music by Reginald Foresythe),[7] St. Louis Women (music by W. C. Handy),[7] Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite[1][3] (music by phonograph),[7] and to the music of Duke Ellington.[1][3]

After its debut, the company performed in Brighton, England, in 1938.[3]

Company disbandment and reformation

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The American Negro Ballet had a brief tenure, disbanding in 1938.[1] The following year, the company reformed as "Von Grona's American Negro Ballet."[8] Many members of the original American Negro Ballet joined Von Grona’s group and were featured dancers in Lew Leslie’s Blackbird of 1939, an all-black production starring Lena Horne and choreography by Von Grona.[1][3][8][9]

In addition, several original members of the American Negro Ballet performed with the Negro Symphony Orchestra in 1939,[4][10] and in Agnes de Mille’s Black Ritual (Obeah), which had its 1940 world premiere as part of Ballet Theatre’s inaugural season. [11][12] DeMille's work was specifically designed for black and brown ballerinas.[11][12][13][14]

Company members

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The American Negro Ballet was originally composed of twenty[7] to thirty jazz dancers who were recruited to perform in a modern dance concert.[2] The company's principals included Lavinia Williams, Al Bledger,[1][2][15] Coleman Hill, Harry Young,[16] and Beryl James, who danced in the group's production of Stravinsky's "Firebird."[17]

First Last American Negro Ballet (ANB)[1] Lew Leslie’s Blackbird of 1939 (LEW)[9] Negro Symphony Orchestra Concert (NSC)[4] Black Ritual (Obeah) (BRO)[11][12]
Teddy Allen ANB NSC
Carole Ash BRO
Maudelle Bass BRO
Valerie Black ANB BRO
Verona Blackburn LEW
Al Bledger ANB LEW NSC
Marion Brown ANB LEW NSC
Valerie Cavell NSC
Beryl Theodore Clarke James[17][3] ANB LEW NSC
Clementina Collingwood BRO
Muriel Cook BRO
Azelean Cox BRO
Jon Edward(s)[4] ANB NSC
Anthony Fleming ANB NSC
Viola Gibson ANB NSC
Violet Gray LEW
Frank Green ANB NSC
Mabel Hart BRO
Coleman Hill ANB LEW NSC
Edith Hurd LEW BRO
Anne Jones BRO
Dorothy Jones Williams ANB LEW NSC
Lawuane Kennard BRO
Beryl Murray LEW
Harriet Oliver ANB NSC
Evelyn Pilcher Crittenden[18][19] ANB NSC BRO
Renu Roma LEW
Edith Ross LEW NSC BRO
James Smith ANB NSC
Pearl Spears ANB NSC
Hazel Spence ANB LEW NSC
Hettie Stephens ANB LEW NSC
Wahneta Talley ANB LEW NSC
Willard Taylor ANB LEW NSC
Mary Tennant LEW
Elizabeth Thompson NSC BRO
Dorothy Williams BRO
Elizabeth Williams LEW
Lavinia Williams ANB LEW NSC BRO
Bernice Willis BRO
Harry Young ANB NSC

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 1937: American Negro Ballet gives its debut performance. MoBBallet.org. https://mobballet.org/index.php/2017/07/21/1937-american-negro-ballet-was-founded/
  2. ^ a b c d Morris, Gay. Moving Words: Re-writing Dance. Psychology Press, 1996. p. 111. Google Books. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g American Negro Ballet Company scrapbook, Sc MG 519, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. https://archives.nypl.org/scm/20924
  4. ^ a b c d From Ballet to Broadway and Black and Von Grona’s Swing Ballet. MoBB.org. https://mobballet.org/index.php/2023/02/03/from-ballet-to-broadway-and-black-orbit-von-gronas-swing-ballet/
  5. ^ Martin, John (November 22, 1937). "NEGRO BALLET HAS DEBUT IN HARLEM: Company Directed by Eugene von Grona in a Program of His Compositions". The New York Times. p. 15. ProQuest 102167196.
  6. ^ Series 2, American Negro Ballet, 1937, Box: 42, Folder: 20. Countee Cullen-Harold Jackman memorial collection, 0000-0000-0000-0034. Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. http://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/51470 Accessed September 18, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Music: Black, Black. TIME (magazine). November 29, 1937. https://time.com/archive/6757753/music-black-black/
  8. ^ a b Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939. Playbill. See "Act I Introducing Von Grona's Negro Swing Ballet" and the cast of dancers. https://playbill.com/production/lew-leslies-blackbirds-of-1939-hudson-theatre-vault-0000005872#carousel-cell173668
  9. ^ a b Lew Leslie’s Blackbird of 1939 - Current Cast. Playbill. https://playbill.com/personlistpage/person-list?production=00000150-aea3-d936-a7fd-eef7ea460001&type=cp#cc
  10. ^ Silpayamanant, Jon. Timeline of Black Orchestras and Large Ensembles in the US. Mae Mai. https://silpayamanant.wordpress.com/timeline-of-black-orchestras/
  11. ^ a b c Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(text) Program for Black Ritual (Obeah), The Center Theatre, (1940)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Black Ritual (Obeah). World Premiere. The Center Theatre, New York. Repertory Archive. American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Note: The ABT website lists the program on “January 22, 1940,” https://www.abt.org/ballet/black-ritual-obeah/ and the actual program lists the performance date as “Thursday Evening, February 1, 1940.” see Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1940). Program for Black Ritual (Obeah), The Center Theatre.
  13. ^ Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/agnes-de-mille
  14. ^ Maher, Erin K. "Ballet, Race, and Agnes de Mille's Black Ritual." The Musical Quarterly 97.3 (2014): 390-428. https://doi.org/10.1093/musqtl/gdu009
  15. ^ Al Bledger. American Negro Ballet. MoBBallet.org.https://mobballet.org/index.php/2021/01/05/al-bledger/
  16. ^ Dancers of the American Negro Ballet Company rehearse a few days before the premiere at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem: from left to right Harry Young, Col(e)man Hill and Alfred Bledger. Alamy. https://www.alamy.com/dancers-of-the-american-negro-ballet-company-rehearse-a-few-days-before-the-premiere-at-the-lafayette-theatre-in-harlem-from-left-to-right-harry-young-colman-hill-and-alfred-bledger-image385783957.html
  17. ^ a b James, Beryl Theodore Clarke. Alpha Kappa Alpha. Pioneering Members. https://akapioneers.aka1908.com/index.php/component/mtree/vocations/arts-1/dance/1872-james-beryl-theodore-clarke?Itemid=
  18. ^ Evelyn Crittenden (née Pilcher). Negro Unit of Ballet Theatre, American Negro Ballet Company, Katherine Dunham Company (1940-1943). MoBBallet. https://mobballet.org/index.php/2021/01/08/evelyn-pilcher/
  19. ^ Evelyn Pilcher. Internet Broadway Database. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/evelyn-pilcher-94819


See also

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