Buddy Bradley (choreographer)

Buddy Bradley
Bradley and his wife Dorothy in 1963
Born
Clarence Bradley Epps

July 24, 1905
Clarkesville, Georgia, USA
DiedJuly 17, 1972 (aged 66)
New York City, US
OccupationsDancer and choreographer, dance school owner and teacher
SpouseDorothy Pitchford

Buddy Bradley (July 24, 1905 – July 17, 1972)[1] was a transformative African-American choreographer who brought jazz and tap dance to new stages on both sides of the Atlantic from the Harlem Renaissance onwards, In the 1930s he relocated to London. He worked in the West End for more than 35 years as a choreographer and teacher. In addition to his role as the international disseminator of jazz dance, Bradley advanced the integration of dance into the book musical, was the go-to choreographer for British film in the 1930s, and, through collaborations with ballet choreographers George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton, contributed to the development of neoclassical ballet.[2][3][4]

Biography

Born as Clarence Bradley Epps in Clarkesville, Georgia,[1] he began his career in the United States as a dancer in Harlem Renaissance nightclubs. In 1925, he began teaching jazz dance to theatre professionals at the Billy Pierce Studio, the first African American dance institution on Broadway. His successful reworking of The Greenwich Village Follies in 1926 launched his career as a theatre choreographer. Due to prevailing racism, he never received program credit for his work on Broadway.

Bradley first went to England in 1930 to choreograph Rodgers and Hart's Ever Green for producer Charles B. Cochran, starring a young Jessie Matthews. In the course of his career, he worked on nearly 89 Broadway and West End shows, including six which he co-choreographed with Frederick Ashton, and 25 films.[2][5] He was the first black choreographer of an all-white show in London,[6][7] He often worked with Andrée Howard, including 1935's Let's Go Gay.[8]

Bradley also ran his own dance school.[3]

He returned to the US in the late 1960s. He died in New York City on July 17, 1972, aged 66.[3]

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 Footer (2026), p. .
  2. 1 2 3 Swinging into the Blitz: A Culture Show Special, BBC, February 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Biography". buddybradley.taplegacy.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  4. ↑ Bourne, Stephen, Black in the British Frame – The Black Experience in British Film and Television, London: Continuum, 2001. ISBN 0-8264-5539-5
  5. ↑ Robinson, Danielle (2006). "'Oh, You Black Bottom!' Appropriation, Authenticity, and Opportunity in the Jazz Dance Teaching of 1920s New York". Dance Research Journal. 38 (1–2): 19–42. doi:10.1017/S0149767700007312. S2CID 193345640.
  6. ↑ Hill, CV. 1992. "Buddy Bradley: The Invisible Man of Broadway Brings Jazz Tap to London". In Proceedings of the 15th Annual Conference, Society of Dance History Scholars.
  7. ↑ Pritchard, Jane (1992). "The choreography of Andrée Howard: Some further information". Dance Chronicle. 15: 77–87. doi:10.1080/01472529208569081.

Sources

  • Footer, Maureen (May 2026). Feel the Floor: Restoring the Life and Legacy of Jazz Choreographer Buddy Bradley. Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-4524-4. "Author's note", maureenfooter.net
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