2 3 Throwback Thursday and Buddy Bradley | Ballet Webb

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Throwback Thursday and Buddy Bradley



Throwback Thursday and Buddy Bradley

Clarence “Buddy” Bradley was born on July 24, 1905 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was a self-taught dancer who debuted in the Florence Mills Revue in New York in 1926. He also staged dances for Ziegfeld, George White and the renowned black revue Blackbirds. He also choreographed for such notables as Eleanor Powell and Ruby Keeler.

In 1933 he moved to London to work on the musical Evergreen. He was the first black dancer to work in an all white show. In 1932 he worked with Frederick Ashton and taught ballerina Alicia Markova how to dance with “snake hips”.

He went on to open his own dance studio in London which he ran until 1967. All the while he continued to choreograph, not only in England but also in Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain.

His choreography combines elements of jazz, tap, modern and ballet. He also used movements he observed in ice shows. In the 1950s he formed his own company to perform in variety shows and on television.

Buddy Bradley died on July 17, 1972 in New York.


From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Secret #204:
“Buddy Bradley coached Alicia Markova on how to dance with snake hips.”

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