black women performers and the shaping of the modern
- Categories
- Book/Boek
- Creator
- Brown, Jayna
- Publish Year
- 2008
- Shelfmark
- VS 54 2008
- Thesaurus
- zwarte vrouwen, danseressen, zangeressen, populaire cultuur, Verenigde Staten, 19e eeuw, 20e eeuw, biografische gegevens
- Description
- Babylon Girls is a cultural history of the African American women who performed in variety shows between 1890 and 1945. Through a consideration of the gestures, costuming, vocal techniques, and stagecraft developed by African American singers and dancers, Brown explains how these women shaped the movement and style of an emerging urban popular culture. They pioneered dance movements and the Charleston--black dances by which the 'New Woman' defined herself. These early-twentieth-century performers brought these dances with them as they toured across the United States and around the world, becoming cosmopolitan subjects more widely traveled than many of their audiences.