December 21st is William Henry Lane "Master Juba" Day!!!

December 21st is William Henry Lane "Master Juba" Day!!! 

"Born William Henry Lane, Master Juba (c.1825-c.1852) combined quick footwork with powerful African rhythms in an extraordinary style that evolved into American tap dance. Lane was born a freeman in Rhode Island and began his early career in Manhattan's Five Points neighborhood, mastering the dances of Irish immigrants and free blacks. In this antebellum era, when blacks were not allowed to perform with whites, Master Juba was the first African-American to obtain international prominence as a minstrel entertainer, performing with four well-known early minstrel companies. Music historian Eileen Southern has noted that Master Juba was "a link between the white world and authentic black source materials, whose dancing contributed to the preservation of artistic integrity in the performance of black dances on the minstrel stage." In 1848 he performed to high critical praise in London with Pell's Ethiopian Serenaders and writers of the time noted that Master Juba's dancing utilized a potent mixture of jig, clog dancing, and African-American styles with unique rhythms. Because Europe was more accepting of Lane and his dancing, he became one of the first expatriate black dancers, never returning to the United States." Thank you Mr. Lane for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about William Henry Lane "Master Juba". :-)  

http://www.danceheritage.org/juba.html

In 1842, Charles Dickens, fresh from a trip to New York City's Five Points section, was clearly impressed by a dancer many historians believe was Lane, described in his book AMERICAN NOTES. "Single shuffle, double shuffle, cut and crosscut: snapping his fingers, rolling his eyes, turning in his knees, presenting the backs of his legs in front, spinning about on his toes and heels like nothing ... dancing with two left legs, two right legs, two wooden legs, two wire legs, two spring legs -- all sorts of legs and no legs -- what is this to him?"