November 12
Born Today:
Bert Williams
Bert Williams (1874-1922) and his vaudevillian partner George Walker popularized the cakewalk dance and moved away from performing in blackface at the beginning of the 1900s. Their landmark Broadway musical, In Dahomey (1903), was the first show written, directed and performed by an all-black cast. Interestingly, the partners starred in the show with their wives, singer Lottie Williams, and dancer Ida Overton Walker (1880-1914).
Also Born Today: Dancer Mayte Garcia (1973-), who began performing belly dance at the age of three, performed with the Wiesbaden Ballet in Germany, and was married to the singer/dancer Prince for four years.
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Broadway Premiere: Paint Your Wagon in 1951 and Grand Hotel in 1989.