September 1996
Plenty of Good Women Dancers:
African American Women Hoofers from Philadelphia - Exhibition Opens at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts During the Upcoming Avenue of the Arts Inaugural Celebration

"It's not that women couldn't tap dance better. It is just that they weren't gonna get the opportunity to over-dance the man. Too, you couldn't be but so brown. Dark brown-skinned girls, they were out. Lighter complexion, that was the thing. That was true mostly every place." --Libby Spencer, Captain of the #1 Chorus Line at the Apollo Theater, circa 1939-1948; founder and director of the City of Philadelphia's Performing Arts Camp.

"In them days, there were a lot of female tap dancers that never got recognition. When agents wanted a tap dancer, they never asked for a woman, and a lot of the time they never asked if it was a man or a woman. They just asked for a tap dancer and, automatically, it was a man." --LaVaughn Robinson, internationally-known dancer (with partner Germaine Ingram); recipient of prestigious dance fellowships from the Pew Fellowships in the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts; dance faculty, University of the Arts.

Philadelphia - Following three years of extensive research and fieldwork, the Philadelphia Folklore Project will open the exhibition "Plenty of Good Women Dancers: African American Women Hoofers from Philadelphia" on Friday, October 4, 1996 with an opening party from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, 736-738 South Broad Street. "This is the first exhibition in Philadelphia devoted to naming and honoring African American women tap dancers," stated project director, Germaine Ingram. Glamorous photographs and dancers' vivid recollections convey a portrait of veteran Philadelphia women hoofers prominent during the golden age of swing and rhythm tap (1930s-1940s). The exhibition will be on view through March 21, 1997. It is open Wednesdays and Saturdays 10 AM-4 PM, and by appointment. Call 215.893.9912 to arrange a visit other times. Admission is free.

The October 4th festivities include an opening party which runs from 6:00-8:00 PM. All are welcome. The event is open to the public. At the event, exhibit-goers will have a chance to learn the ubiquitous shim sham from veteran dancers including Libby Spencer, a "great teacher who could teach anyone how to dance" (according to Edith "Baby Edwards" Hunt, the first African American to perform on the Horn and Hardart Children's Hour), and others.

Now, most of these women are retired. In their prime, African American women tap dancers plied their art in tent shows and nightclubs as well as in eminent theaters like the Apollo, the Howard, and the Palace. Come see photographs that once appeared in the lobbies of these great theaters featuring many African American women tap dancers: Jeni LeGon was the only African American woman to dance with Bill Robinson in films and who could do both flash and solid rhythm tap. Hortense Allen Jordan was the first Black woman to put a chorus line in the Paramount Theater on Broadway. Mildred "Candi" Thorpe was part of "Candi and Pepper," an all-girl duo. Marie Bryant tap danced in movies with Harold Nicholas of the "Nicholas Brothers." Smooth tap dancer Juanita Pitts was always welcome to dance at Philadelphia's Two-Bit Club, when she was in town. Philadelphian Dottie Saulters performed as a child tap star and went on to dance as a duo with Chollie Atkins and to star in Hollywood musicals.

Although few of these women's names are in history books, movies or research collections, each forged a role for herself in the oral annals of dance history. They choreographed and produced shows, danced as tap acts, in the chorus line, in novelty acts, as song and dance teams, as exotic dancers, and in comedy acts. They danced, usually as partners with men where they were expected to supply beauty and style. Restricted to few roles, unnamed in credits, these African American women dancers have remained anonymous within and outside of the entertainment industry and sometimes even in the communities in which they reside. But these are not women who lament the past. This exhibition will honor the artistry and rhythmic innovation of these dance pioneers.

Historic photographs are primarily from the collections of individual dancers. Contemporary photographs are by Philadelphia Folklore Project photographers Jane Levine and Thomas B. Morton, taken during last year's sold-out theater performances of "Stepping in Time." These images show dancers in rehearsal, behind the scenes, and in classic posed "lobby" photographs. Featured dancers include Hortense Allen Jordan, Edith "Baby Edwards" Hunt, Isabelle "Eleanor Byrd" Fambro, Delores McHarris (of McHarris and Delores), Libby Spencer, and others.

Viewed through the dancers' own scrapbook photos and personal reflections, this exhibition offers us a glimpse into an era often viewed only through the perspectives of male tap dancers, agents, and entertainment impresarios. Dancers elaborate on what it took to be an "act" on a show's bill and on what the behind-the-scenes life of the chorus girl was like. They distinctly recall the discipline and commitment it took to "stay fresh" as an artist. Exhibit-goers will see how child star Edith "Baby Edwards" Hunt evolved into an admired adult dancer working in the sought-after duo as "Spic and Span." Dancers comment on work conditions, what it took to distinguish yourself artistically, and thephysical toll this occupation extracted.

Hortense Allen Jordan comments: "The majority of times, if you didn't have money to go to college, what were you thinking of doing? Run the elevator or dance! Well, if you were a chorus girl, you'd travel all over." She describes how she choreographed and produced shows, taught the chorus line, danced in an act, and even sewed all the costumes for shows. Isabelle "Eleanor Byrd" Fambro asserts, "The (booking) agents expected us to do the same act all over the world, wherever they booked us. Billy (Byrd) and I were billed as song and dance dignitaries, and honey, we had to act like it. We spent almost half of our salary on wardrobe." Delores McHarris danced with her husband Dave as "McHarris and Delores" for fifty years. She talks of the many changes they made in their act, "We always did a full dance act. I did some Russian steps and Dave jumped over me into a split. We danced our way around the world and we kept dancing, too, from the 1940s all the way up to today. We never really retired."

Curated by Debora Kodish and designed by Steven Tucker, "Plenty of Good Women Dancers..." marks the achievements of a sampling of African American women tap acts from Philadelphia. It also chronicles the untold story of the chorus line, and the versatility of women who choreographed, produced and danced - doing it all. After opening at the Clef Club, the exhibition will be available to travel.

The Philadelphia Folklore Project is in the process of completing a documentary videotape which will premiere next spring. Philadelphia Folklore Project programs on African American women's tap dance are undertaken with the assistance of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and the Performing Arts, Point Breeze Performing Art Center, West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Dance Alliance, and other community partners.

Philadelphia Folklore Project programs to expand audiences for folk arts are supported by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. This project is supported by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts, National Endowment for the Arts, William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, CoreStates, and our members.

The Philadelphia Folklore Project (PFP) is a 10-year-old independent public folklife agency that documents, supports and presents local folk arts and culture. PFP offers exhibitions, concerts, workshops, and assistance to artists and communities. Staff conduct ongoing field research and organize around issues of concern. PFP also maintains an archive, issues publications and shares resources. For further information, contact Debora Kodish at 215.726.1106 or write c/o Philadelphia Folklore Project, 735 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143. (Please note new address and phone).

Historic and contemporary photographs are available.