Helena Justa
American dancer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helena Justa (December 21, 1901[1] – after 1964[2]), born Helena Johnson, was an American dancer and singer active in the 1920s and 1930s, billed as "the female Bill Robinson".[3]
December 21, 1901
Helena Justa | |
|---|---|
Helena Justa, from a 1930 newspaper | |
| Born | Helena Johnson December 21, 1901 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | after 1964 |
| Other names | Helena Justa de Armas |
| Occupations | Dancer, singer, vaudeville performer |
Early life
Justa was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter vaudeville entertainers Duke Johnson and Mae Wells.[4][5] She traveled with her parents in Europe, Australia and New Zealand while they toured in the 1900s and 1910s.[6][7]
Career
Justa performed on vaudeville programs beginning in her teens.[8][9] "Miss Justa is a versatile dancer, the esthetic, clog and toe all being in the range of her accomplishments," noted The Chicago Defender in 1926.[10] However, a Billboard review in 1932 found her singing "decidedly ordinary".[11]
Justa danced in Massachusetts in 1923 and 1924,[12][13] in Pennsylvania in 1925,[14] and in California in 1926 and 1927.[15][16][17] She sang in California and Chicago in 1928,[18][19] and danced with Bill Robinson in Blackbirds of 1929.[20] In 1929 and 1930 she danced and sang with her uncle Charlie Johnson, on the RKO circuit.[21][22][23] In the 1930s she led her own revue, the Harlem Maniacs,[24][25][26] and had a cabaret act.[27] Pianist Gideon Honore worked with her in 1935.[28] In 1936, she and Etta Moten performed in Buenos Aires.[29]
Justa married her manager, Ted Bradley, but left him in 1935.[30] She occasionally performed in clubs in her later years.[2][31]