And while they definitely belong on this list, they’re just the start of the innovators and inventors that kids ought to know. His ability to combine cultural influences, observe and absorb the art in his community, and turn it into a timeless form of self-expression, changed the course of history and shook the world of dance.Ask kids to name famous inventors, and you might get Thomas Edison or Henry Ford. Once he gained success, he continued to wow audiences, spread himself thin in the face of failing health, and managed to open a school in London while he was still a young man. To pursue his passion, he was forced to participate in the racist institution of minstrel shows. He is credited forthe invention of tap dance, but his legacy is about much more than that. Tap dance has since become a globally-recognized art form, and Master Juba’s legacy lives on. He died in 1852 at the young age of 27, after opening a school in London. He ate very little and worked constantly. Master Juba performed every night, touring Europe and the northeast United States. He also played the banjo and the tambourine. Blending European folk dance and African dance, he used his feet to make a variety of drum sounds, and his voice to sing, speak, laugh, and improvise as he danced. Lane–billed “Master Juba” by Barnum’s Museum–added layers of rhythm, sounds, and poetry into his performances. This unique style became known as tap dance. Lane combined the clapping, thumping, stomping, and slapping with the jig he learned from his Irish neighbors and the other dance steps that were gaining popularity around him in the 1820s and 30s. Because enslaved people were not permitted to play music, they began to use their bodies as instruments, developing rhythms by drumming on themselves in syncopated dance. In Africa, music was an essential form of personal and spiritual expression. By 1845, he was the first black performer to be billed over a white performer in a minstrel show. Though audiences usually had no tolerance for non-white performers, Lane became an acclaimed dancer was soon able to play in minstrel shows without black makeup on his face. So, he started appearing in shows: a black man with black paint on his face, an obvious standout and crowd-pleaser. Usually the skits and jokes made fun of slaves, and only white people were allowed to perform.īut William Henry Lane was an exceptional talent and he was welcomed on to the stage in minstrel shows, so long as he wore blackface like the rest of the cast. In minstrel shows, white performers (usually Irish men) appeared in blackface, imitating hideous stereotypes of African-American speech, music, and dance. Lane was initially a performer in minstrel shows, a popular form of American entertainment between 18. It was a poor area, quickly becoming a “melting pot” as immigrant groups found their way to Lower Manhattan to live and work. The Five Points bustled with performance, drinking, gambling, and dance. As a child, he moved to New York’s Five Points district–today, a section of the Financial District–where a lot of Irish and African Americans lived. Williams Henry Lane was born free in Rhode Island in 1825. Who invented Tap dancing? How is self-expression shaped and developed? When does the geographical proximity of different cultures influence art? « Click here to return to The Insider's Connection Click here to Learn more about contact usContact Us.Click here to Learn more about health & safetyHealth & Safety.Click here to Learn more about subscribeSubscribe.Click here to Learn more about pressPress.Click here to Learn more about about usAbout Us.Click here to Learn more about aboutAbout.Click here to Learn more about blogBlog.Click here to Learn more about servicesServices.Click here to Learn more about diversity & inclusion toursDiversity & Inclusion Tours.Click here to Learn more about groups toursGroups Tours.African American and Black Heritage NYC.Click here to Learn more about browse group tour topicsBrowse Group Tour Topics.Click here to Learn more about expert speakerExpert Speaker.Click here to Learn more about in-person group toursIn-Person Group Tours.Click here to Learn more about online group toursOnline Group Tours.Click here to Learn more about group toursGroup Tours.Click here to Learn more about public toursPublic Tours.
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