Black Dance and Musical Theatre

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Black Dance in Musical Theatre

By Laura Griffiths

The second in a series of educational events provided by ADAD offered an insight into the use and representations of Black Dance in British Musical Theatre. The afternoon began with a presentation by Stephen Bourne, researcher and Author of ‘Black in the British Frame’- The Black Experience in British Film and Television (continuum, 2001). Bourne is not a dance academic, however was brought to Buddy Bradley through an interrogation into film and an interest in the revelation of secret histories. Bourne provided a discussion and film showing of dancer/choreographer Buddy Bradley. Working in Britain from the 1930’s through to the 1960’s, Bradley was a leading figure in the development of Black performance in Britain, especially within musical theatre. The films Bourne screened included ‘The Three Eddies’ (1930) and ‘Four Flash Devils’ (1936).

Bourne details the 1920’s ‘Harlem Renaissance’ (a post World War one artistic movement led primarily by the African American community based in Harlem, New York City), which is articulated in the chapter ‘Harlem Comes to London’ (continuum, 2001). During this time performers in shows and nightclubs began to be recognised in Europe and throughout the twenties and thirties began to develop in film. The two film examples demonstrated how such entertaining performers are portrayed through film. The first being ‘The Three Eddies’ (1930) with three male dancers presenting such detailed footwork that it transpires as trickery in a rhythmic display. The costumes are neat, smart, white suits providing undertones of middle class formality. The movement is lively, the on screen audience are clapping as they offer tricks of the mind through the way they move, for example making it seem as though the floor beneath their feet is moving. The second film ‘Four Flash Devils’ (1936) is an angelic display, in white, the setting is of a grand house, with a piano and light, soft fabrics adorning the grand rooms. This time a female glides though the space as if on air, almost without purpose. The music is gentle, slight tinkering patterns on the piano that gives a less quizzical approach to the previous film. Both are examples of musical film and the varying existences it is capable of adopting.

Stephen Bourne on Buddy Bradley

Buddy Bradley was a man with a sense of humour who existed within showbiz circles, his work is comparable to that of Busby Berkley and he is often regarded as the ‘Genius of the Dance’. Within his career, Bradley never choreographed a show with white dancers in America. He often collaborated with Jesse Matthews (Britain’s top musical star of films) who had a less rhythmic, more classical approach to choreography. Together they created some of the most outstanding dance routines in the history of musicals. Matthews acknowledged ‘No praise is too great for Buddy, he is a genius of dance’.

Buddy was a major influence in Jazz and Tap dance, however was not often recognised for this contribution. He taught such strands of dance to many Broadway, West End stars within the nineteen twenties and thirties. The name Buddy Bradley was not recognisable to the general public; his dance ideas were well ahead of their time, but for too long his work and major contributions in the 1930’s, in British Musicals has been ignored.

He was born is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and made his first appearance on stage in 1926, in a New York movie. He subsequently became a teacher of dance and arranger for a number of Broadway musicals in the nineteen twenties and thirties. Coaching many stars including May West and Fred Astaire.

Jesse Matthews biographer Michael Thornton reveals that it was at Fred Astaire’s suggestion that she persuaded Buddy Bradley and another Black dancer Billy Pearce to come over to London to stage dances for her show ‘Evergreen’ at the Adelphi in 1930. This became Jesse’s greatest hit and was later filmed in 1934, Buddy Bradley made his only ever on screen appearance in ‘Evergreen’. It is in another spectacular production that he can be spotted to the side of the screen dancing with some children on a London Street (‘Spring-time in your Heart’). Matthews and Bradley collaborated on other film’s she made, including ‘Its love Again’, ‘Head over Heels’ and ‘Gangway’. The Matthews and Bradley partnership is one of the most important in the history of dance, especially in film, however it is barely acknowledged. For example Jeffrey Richards only mentions it once in his chapter on Matthews in ‘The Age of the Dream’ 1984, David Shipman fails to mention it at all in an otherwise excellent study of Jesse Matthews in his 1970 publication ‘The Golden Years’.

John Kobal did make a brief reference to Bradley and his collaboration with Matthews in his 1971 publication ‘Gotta sing, Gotta Dance’ John said:

Her usual choreographic collaborator and American resident in England, Buddy Bradley must have understood Jesse Matthews and her abilities as a dancer almost as well as she did herself. There is hardly ever a moment in her dances that is not liveable and harmonious, or which looks awkward for her to do. She feels the music and at times she almost seems to be the music, and always anticipating the next movement. Not just clever choreography but her body’s intuitive expression.

One of the most memorable sequences in any of Matthew’s film is the ‘dancing on the ceiling’ scene in ‘evergreen’, 1934. She is seen at her best, enchanting, graceful, dancing sensuously through the house in a fantastical illusion of virtuous elegance. Bradley later refuted claims that the choreography had been assembled shortly before the filming of the scene. Matthews explained that her and Buddy worked together on the choreography for all of their collaborations, stating that her classical influence was layered with what she called ‘coloured rhythm’ through Bradley’s influence. Bradley choreographed a number of unimportant British film musicals in pre-war UK during the 1930’s. Including ‘Radio Parade’ 1935 and ‘Oh daddy’ 1935.

On his stage work Buddy Bradley in 1932 collaborated with Frederick Ashton who created his first jazz ballet, ‘High Yellow’ starring Alicia Markova at Saldler’s Wells, which was then followed by several West end musicals and cabaret acts including ‘blackbird’ in 1936. He continued to choreograph West end musicals throughout the war years. By 1950 the Buddy Bradley Dance School in London had over 500 students, and he clearly supplemented his work in between films by having this popular dance school. This remained in operation until 1968 when he decided to return to New York. In 1961, Bradley made a surprise guest appearance on BBC television’s ‘This is your Life’ a tribute to Jesse Matthews. He died in New York in 1972 at the age of 63. It took nearly thirty years after his death for Bradley’s name to be mentioned on British television. When Michael Parkinson interviewed Sir John Mills in 2001 an extract was shown of the 1937 creation ‘the Green cockatoo’ in which Mills tap dances across the screen. An impressed Parkinson enquired ‘who taught you’ and without hesitation Mills replied ‘Buddy Bradley’.

Interview with Omar Okai (Five Guys Named Moe) and Doreen Thobekile (Ipi Tombi)

Doreen was born in Natal and grew up in Durban, South Africa and participated in dance/performance in her school years. She came to dance through a young interest in show business, explaining that ‘blinkered by showbiz’ she was always keen to go to local plays, and inspired simply by watching. She joined the ‘African Follies’ in South Africa where she toured many countries fusing traditional and modern African art. After this she was a professional dancer in South Africa. Settling in Britain in 1971she auditioned for the west end South African musical ‘Ipi Tombi’ and joined the production as a professional dancer. Later on during her time with Ipi Tombi she began to lead sing. Happy to be part of South African culture again Thobekile remained with Ipi Tombi for eight years. She is also an instrumentalist and has starred in many musicals and enjoys conducting cultural art/dance workshops in community centres and schools across Britain.

What is your most memorable performance?

(DT) (Sighs) I do not know where to start…. There are so many I cannot remember…

I saw the original cast in 78, and was it a real snake on stage?

(A section within ‘Ipi Tombi’ (meaning raise the maiden) where the witchdoctor comes on stage with a snake on his hand, and as a child it seemed real. In another instance several women come on stage back to back on each other and dance with what appears to be a snake, their arms are interwoven and painted into one large snake.)

(DT) No no…. It was not real!!
As part of a python dance in South Africa... as part of an initiation dance that happens in the mountains.

Omar Okai was a cuisine chef for two years prior to his entrance into fields of dance at The Place, London. He auditioned on a Saturday, thought it was great then by the Monday he was in! While at the Place, Okai suggests it was a very multi-racial environment, and because of the influence of Graham and her interest in collecting dances from other cultures. Okai states the dance technique lent itself to every type of body and as a result the mixture of races and sexes. Okai was taught by Jane Dudley (a former member of the Martha Graham Dance Company) for three years, where he claims his body was ‘battered’ acknowledging the hard work he put into his training. He came from a family of performers; his grandmother was part of the first Black dance/ballet company called Ballet Negres, his great Aunt and his mother were also part of Ballet Negres. His parents also both performed in a circus in Austria walking on coals and dancing with snakes! This was all part of his personal history, which he was greatly exposed to as a child. Omar then went to dance school where his dance teacher encouraged him to sing, he did this for a year and then went straight into a show abroad. In Malaysia, he describes it as a ‘Las Vegas’ style of show, he performed in eight shows a week, seven days a week stating it was the hardest thing he has ever done.

How prepared were you for your audition?

(OO) I belonged to a young persons dance group; I went to lots of seminars and workshops. I had dance in the background all the time. To be honest when I went to the place audition, I did not have any fear. I paid my fifteen pounds and therefore I said ‘I must get in’.

How did the doors open for you for ‘Five Guys Named Mo’?

(OO) I was in a show called ‘King’ about Martin Luther King in the west end..., which lasted about six hours! Clarke Peters who wrote Five Guys asked if I would like to audition for the show. I Went to Stratford East and sang my song and did the routine, and they said right lets start rehearsal! I said what now?? That was it and I got in. I was determined to get the job.

Can you both tell me about the life and days within what we call rehearsals for a show?

Thobekile states rehearsals were for an entire day, the show was changed a lot through being asked to do different variations of kicking for example on stage. These were different to traditional Zulu dances, however they were adapted through the stage. They did not sing live, all of their voices were recorded and a backing track used. On stage they often said they will ‘do what we know’ and ‘really danced-no restrictions’ and that is when the audience would really enjoy it! Every night they made sure they had something to dance for, for example if friends/family were in the audience. Acknowledging that they always saw the same faces in the audience, the show was something the audience do not get to see everyday, it involved naked flesh, nudity and skimpy costumes. Okai explains he did not get to see it at the time, but was able to recognise the show as a cult; everybody was going to see it.

(OO) At the time Stratford East was hectic the rehearsals were very tough, with very hard dance schools. ‘If you got something wrong you got a slap!!!’ and ‘you couldn’t not do it because you would be fired’. An hour for lunch, ready to start at the end of that hour exactly, and things were strict, half-hearted behaviour would not be tolerated.

Did you experience any social barriers?

Not really no, I have not really had any…I mean my family is very mixed…African and Irish, I am English but my heritage is Ghanaian. I have never ever had a barrier, I think people will try to put a barrier on me, but I don’t accept the barrier.

(DT) Kick the doors!!

(OO) All I know is that I was in an all black show…but it was a show in my opinion. I would never say I am going to see an all white show. What sets these shows apart is, when a show comes out and happens to be black it is called a ‘Black Show’ when other shows come out in the west end, you do not have to call it a white show. A show is a show, it is what it is and if you start putting these barriers down, shows do not last very long, because they are put into a box.

Do you think this is a perception?

Okai states that such perceptions do exist, but claims these do not have to be lived. He runs a children’s theatre group, where he states the children are of mixed race, age and sexual orientation. I will not have any barriers. He also states that having experience of performing to so many audiences that the best experiences are when the audience is mixed, a mix of cultures creates a unique energy.

Thobekile states in South Africa, there were evenings when all of the Black people would come and see the show at the weekend. During the week it was a white audience. The audience was never mixed; the chairs would be labelled ‘white’ and ‘black’. The ‘colours’ (people of mixed race) were able to pass as ‘white’. This does not go on at present, however it is slightly underlying, as it’s difficult for people to acknowledge and understand.