Throwback Thursday and Bessie Clayton
The daughter of Irish immigrants, Bessie
Clayton was born in 1888. She received her dance training from George W. Smith
and made her professional debut at age 14 in A Trip to Chinatown. It is said she was hired as a temporary fill-in
for Loie Fuller but Bessie must have impressed the management since she ended
up being employed for six seasons.
Known as a specialty dancer, she was
described as having a whirlwind style of dance and she became known as the
matriarch of toe-tap (a blend of stage and classical dance).
During the early decades of the
twentieth century, she had leading roles on Broadway including five years with
the Weber
and Fields company. She was featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1909, and in her last show, the Passing
Show of 1913 she performed piqué turns on pointe while going down a staircase.
Bessie Clayton retired in 1924 and
married Bert Cooper, her former manager. She died in 1948 in West Long Branch,
New Jersey.
From the Big
Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Secret #225:
“Bessie Clayton was known for toe-tap.”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“The
unique must be fulfilled.”
― Martha Graham
― Martha Graham
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