November 29
Born Today:
Pearl Primus
Dancer/anthropologist Pearl Primus (1919-1994) studied African and diasporic dance, presenting dance from the continent as worthy of celebration, reverence, and study. Her formal dance training began in 1941 with the New Dance Group and she debuted her own work in 1943. She was known as a powerhouse performer and a meticulous researcher.
Also Born Today: Hollywood director Busby Berkeley (1895-1976), creator of the kaleidoscopic overhead shot in his lavish musicals during the 1930s-1950s, and Hinton Battle (1956-), who premiered on Broadway playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1975). His other productions include Sophisticated Ladies (1981), and The Tap Dance Kid (1985).
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Broadway Premiere: The Gay Divorce in 1932 and Bells are Ringing in 1956