Thursday, December 26, 2019

Throwback Thursday and Bessie Dudley



Throwback Thursday and Bessie Dudley

Born in Baltimore Maryland on March 16, 1904, Bessie Dudley was regarded as one of the greatest tap and snake dancers of her time. At age thirteen she ran away from home to join the traveling Chocolate Box Revue, but soon discovered that life on the road wasn’t exactly what she expected. After two years she left the group and married the son of a vaudeville performer, S.H. Dudley. Dudley had his own revue.

She went on to work with Florence Hill in the Duke Ellington film Bundle of Blues. She is in the white costume during the song Bugle Call Rag (see the Link of the Day below). She also danced with Earl Tucker (“Snake Hips”) in Symphony in Black.

According to her brief bio on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgfHqHXR3Wc she lived a long life, dying in Georgia on January 16. 1999.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Secret #304:
Bessie Dudley was a great tap dancer who toured with Duke Ellington.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
― Mark Twain

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