Charleston A short clip from 1927 with Josephine Baker showing off some Charleston variations! A short but impressive clip! Josephine Baker first danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. She began her dancing career as a 5-7 tall chorus girl in a all colored revue in St. Louis called Shuffle Along at the young age of sixteen. Baker was positioned at the end of the line and would do some crazy things that were funny during the choreography, while doing everything everyone else was doing, she would improvise, crossing her eyes, tripping, getting out of step etc. and the audience loved it. At the age of 15, she married a ( Pullman) porter named Baker, but left him two years later when she ran away from St. Louis at age 17 to become a star. She Went to Paris in 1924 and in 1925 appeared in her first revue titled La Revue Nègre, danced in the Follies-Bergere and other various nightclubs. She remained in France except for occasional trips to the U.S., due to the poor treatment in the states to African-American performers, she became a citizen of France. Baker was a civil rights pioneer and personally involved in racial equality throughout her life. Baker over the years adopted 11 children which she called the Rainbow Tribe to prove to the world they could live in racial harmony. More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker streetswing/histmai2/d2jbakr1.htm
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 11:05:38 +0000
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