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]
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]
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]
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 |
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