The American Negro Ballet Company formed in 1934 under the auspices of Eugene Von Grona, a German immigrant. Originally composed of thirty African-American jazz dancers, the company focussed on serious modern dance. Lavinia Williams and Al Bledger were lead dancers.[1]
The poorly-reviewed debut performance on November 21, 1937, was conducted by Dean Dixon. It was held at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem, New York.[2] Von Grona was the main choreographer for pieces by Igor Stravinsky, Duke Ellington and W. C. Handy, among others.[1]
The company only lasted 5 months until 1938. In 1939 the company was reborn as "Von Grona's American Swing Ballet".[1]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||