April 20
Born Today:
Hemsley Winfield
Early modern dance pioneer Hemsley Winfield (1907-1934) was inspired by German Expressionism and, bolstered by the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, he founded the first African-American dance company in 1931. He briefly teamed with modern dancer Edna Guy (1907-1982), who had trained with the Denishawn school in California, on a few performances, but Winfield’s untimely death in 1934 placed a pall over his company’s breakout performance in The Emperor Jones, produced at the Met, and African-American modern dancers lost an advocate in the search for equality in the performing arts. Winfield’s Forum recital discussion in October 1933 remains as part of his legacy as an artist and a philosopher - in it he facilitated a discussion regarding the narrow confines of what African-Americans could dance about at the time. Faced with stereotypical roles and bias toward dancers of color branching into modern dance, he advocated for a broader vision of the possible contributions of black dancers and choreographers.
Also Born Today: Ballet dancer William Dollar (1907-1986) danced in the early version of the NYCB, performing in the premiere of Serenade (1935), The Four Temperaments (1946), and appeared in dances in the movie The Goldwyn Follies (1938). Dollar also appeared in the early version of ABT and choreographed several pieces for the company.
------
Movie: Go into Your Dance released in 1935