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The Scholar & Feminist Online is a webjournal published three times a year by the Barnard Center for Research on Women
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Double Issue: 6.2-6.2: Fall 2007/Spring 2008
Guest Edited by Kaiama L. Glover
Josephine Baker: A Century in the Spotlight

And She Set the Stage for Us

A Dance Performance by The Studio Museum in Harlem's "Hoofer's House" Dancers

One recurrent theme during Barnard College's 2006 commemoration of Josephine Baker's centenary was an appreciation of the impact she made on African American culture—her artistic heritage and her lasting contributions. In fact, the opening of the conference, "Josephine Baker: a Century in the Spotlight" began with a performance by dancers and musicians from the Studio Museum in Harlem's "Hoofer's House" program. This group of improvisational tap dancers at the Museum was created as a contemporary incarnation of the "Hoofer's Club," a back room performance space in Lonnie Hicks' legendary Harlem's Comedy Club where, from the 1920s through the 1940s, such celebrated black performers as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, King Raustus Brown, John Bubbles, Charles "Honi" Coles, and countless others came to strut their stuff.

In an improvised performance curated by The Kitchen's Rashida Bumbray, eight women tap dancers and four musicians from the Studio Museum in Harlem's "Hoofer's House" came together to offer a special tribute to Josephine Baker, giving an idea of what Baker's living legacy might look like. Dancing to jazz standards and a couple of R&B classics, these talented women of color paid homage to the woman they credit with having helped create a space for them to dance.

Video Clips:
Click on an image below to play each video clip. All video is formatted for RealPlayer. (Technical requirements for video.)


Dance Clip
Piano Intro

Dance Clip
Hoofer's House Intro

Dance Clip
Maya Jenkins, "Summertime"

Dance Clip
Rhonda Jones

Dance Clip
Maud Arnold, "Girl from Ipanema"

Dance Clip
Chloe Arnold, "April in Paris"

Dance Clip
Ayodele Cassel, "Morning Sunrise"

Dance Clip
Adenike Sharpley, "A Sunday Kind of Love"

Dance Clip
Hoofer's House Background

Dance Clip
Chloe Arnold, Maud Arnold, Rhonda Jones, Rashida Bumbray, "Caravan"

Dance Clip
Ayodele Cassel, Maya Jenkins

Dance Clip
Adenike Sharpley, "The Down Low"

Dance Clip
Finale

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© 2008 Barnard Center for Research on Women | S&F Online - Double Issue 6.1-6.2: Fall 2007/Spring 2008 - Josephine Baker: A Century in the Spotlight