Dora Dean
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1872
Dora Dean | |
|---|---|
 Dora Dean taken from the sheet music cover of Don't Think You'd Like to Fondle Me by Hughie Cannon, c. 1900. | |
| Born | Dora Babbige 1872 Cloverport, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 13, 1949 (aged 76–77) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation | Vaudeville |
| Known for | Dancing and Choreographing |
Dora Dean (born Dora Babbige;[1] c. 1872 – December 13, 1949)[2] was an African-American vaudeville dancer and entertainer. She was part of one of the most popular vaudeville acts of the pre-World War I period.[3] She was best known for popularizing the cakewalk dance internationally, with her husband and dance partner Charles E. Johnson, as part of the act Dean and Johnson.
Dean was born in Cloverport, Kentucky.[2] (Another source gives Covington, Kentucky, as her place of birth.)[4] She worked as a nursemaid in Cincinnati, Ohio, before becoming an entertainer.[5]
Career
Dean debuted as a dancer with a Creole traveling show.[5] In vaudeville, she was known as "The Black Venus".[4]
Early in their time as a team, Johnson and Dean decided to avoid Uncle Tom-style humor. Instead, they went for a higher level of performances. As they were able, they bought costumes and jewelry to enhance the act's look.[6] They are identified with several firsts. They were the first African American couple to perform on Broadway, the first to use strobe lighting, and the first to use steel taps on their shoes.[4]
The couple moved to Europe in 1903 and began performing most of the time there, with occasional trips to Australia and the United States for performances.[4] In 1902, they performed in London's Palace Theatre for King Edward VII.[6]
Johnson and Dean ended their act in 1914 to pursue individual careers.[7] She appeared in the film Georgia Rose (1930).[4] After 20 years, they reunited at a time when vaudeville was dying.[7]
