American Negro Ballet Company Explained
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] The company performed classical ballet pieces, as well as modern dance works.[2]
History
Performances
The American Negro Ballet had its debut performance at the Lafayette Theatre on November 21, 1937.[1] [3] [4] Dean Dixon conducted an all-Negro orchestra that accompanied the opening night program. [5] The dancers performed to Bacchanalian Children of the Earth (music by Reginald Foresythe),[5] St. Louis Women (music by W. C. Handy),[5] Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite[1] (music by phonograph),[5] and to the music of Duke Ellington.[1]
After its debut, the company performed in Brighton, England, in 1938.[6]
Company disbandment and reformation
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."[7] 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] [6] [7] [8]
In addition, several original members of the American Negro Ballet performed with the Negro Symphony Orchestra in 1939,[2] [9] and in Agnes de Mille’s Black Ritual (Obeah), which had its 1940 world premiere as part of Ballet Theatre’s inaugural season.[10] [11] DeMille's work was specifically designed for black and brown ballerinas.[10] [11] [12] [13]
Company members
The American Negro Ballet was originally composed of twenty[5] to thirty jazz dancers who were recruited to perform in a modern dance concert. The company's principals included Lavinia Williams, Al Bledger,[1] [14] [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) | Lew Leslie’s Blackbird of 1939 (LEW) | Negro Symphony Orchestra Concert (NSC) | Black Ritual (Obeah) (BRO) |
|---|
| 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 | ANB | LEW | NSC | |
| Clementina | Collingwood | | | | BRO |
| Muriel | Cook | | | | BRO |
| Azelean | Cox | | | | BRO |
| Jon | Edward(s) | 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
See also
Notes and References
- 1937: American Negro Ballet gives its debut performance. MoBBallet.org. https://mobballet.org/index.php/2017/07/21/1937-american-negro-ballet-was-founded/
- 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/
- News: Martin. John. NEGRO BALLET HAS DEBUT IN HARLEM: Company Directed by Eugene von Grona in a Program of His Compositions. The New York Times. November 22, 1937. 15. .
- 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.
- Music: Black, Black. TIME (magazine). November 29, 1937. https://time.com/archive/6757753/music-black-black/
- 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
- 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
- Lew Leslie’s Blackbird of 1939 - Current Cast. Playbill. https://playbill.com/personlistpage/person-list?production=00000150-aea3-d936-a7fd-eef7ea460001&type=cp#cc
- Silpayamanant, Jon. Timeline of Black Orchestras and Large Ensembles in the US. Mae Mai. https://silpayamanant.wordpress.com/timeline-of-black-orchestras/
- Web site: (text) Program for Black Ritual (Obeah), The Center Theatre, (1940). Digital Collections, The New York Public Library . September 19, 2024 . The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.
- 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.
- Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/agnes-de-mille
- 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
- Morris, Gay. Moving Words: Re-writing Dance. Psychology Press, 1996. p. 111. Google Books. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- Al Bledger. American Negro Ballet. MoBBallet.org.https://mobballet.org/index.php/2021/01/05/al-bledger/
- 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
- 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=
- 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/
- Evelyn Pilcher. Internet Broadway Database. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/evelyn-pilcher-94819
