Nina Payne
American dancer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nina L. Payne Dibble Bostwick Isbell (November 15, 1890 – 1971) was an American dancer, singer, and vaudeville performer. She danced at the Folies Bergère in Paris, and was known for her "Cubist and Dadaist"[1] costumes and dancing.
Nina Payne | |
|---|---|
Nina Payne, from a 1915 publication | |
| Born | November 15, 1890 Charlestown, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | 1971 (aged 80–81) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Nina Dibble, Nina Bostwick, Nina Isbell |
| Occupations | Dancer, vaudeville performer |
Early life and education
Payne was born in Charlestown, Indiana,[2] and raised in Seattle,[3] the daughter of Leslie A. Payne[4] and Emma N. Lutz Payne. She attended Broadway High School, but left after three years to begin her stage career.[5] Her mother traveled with her,[6] and her cousin Catherine Payne accompanied her as musical director.[7]
Career
Payne was a dancer and a singer.[8] She made headlines when she set fire to her gown and hair with a candle, during a 1910 performance in New York City.[9] In the 1920s she danced at the Folies Bergère in Paris,[10] and toured Europe. "Paris's Most Sensational Dancer is an American!" declared one 1922 newspaper headline.[11]
She was known for her elaborate and unusual costumes,[12][13] sometimes with Cubist or Dada influences,[14] and her dances inspired by Egypt,[15][16] jazz,[17][18] and technology.[19] Fellow American vaudeville veteran Holland Robinson designed gowns and sets for Payne's Paris shows.[20] Some of her costumes and moves were considered "shocking" or scandalous by American critics.[11] One costume, based on a newspaper cartoon, was painted onto her body.[21]
Personal life
Payne married Merritt Z. Dibble in 1917; they later divorced. She married businessman Charles A. Bostwick in 1930. He died in 1937.[22] She married a third time in 1941, to Frank Genovar Isbell. She died in 1971, at the age of 80, in New York City.