From Ballet to Broadway and Black and The Road of the Phoebe Snow

The Road of the Phoebe Snow was a show put on by Jacob’s Pillow in August of 1960. The show ran for 4 days from August 2nd to August 6th. There were 5 shows in the evening (running from Tuesday to Saturday) and two matinées (Friday and Saturday). 

The plot of the show is inspired by a famous train called ‘The Phoebe Snow.’ A train that used to travel the Lackawanna Railroad Line, it has a deep history and narrative attached to it. The show itself explores the stories of this train and what may have happened on or near the railroad itself. 

Though the show was hosted at Jacob’s Pillow, it is included in the orbit because the main cast is made up of notable Black Broadway performers including Charles Moore, Georgia Collins, Talley Beatty, and finally Candace Caldwell. It was also choreographed by Talley Beatty. This is indicative of code-switching that Black ballet dancers had to engage in just to be able to perform. They performed whenever they could and in whatever role was available to them. To this extent, this performance of The Road of the Phoebe Snow also demonstrates how supportive the Black dancer community was of each other and how through the connections they had to each other, each was able to succeed. 

The response to The Road of Phoebe Snow was notable. The show navigates sensitive themes and Talley Beatty was the first choreographer to explore these more challenging and disturbing aspects of life. Audiences were taken back and captivated by the show.

Though the show has been revived a number of times since its initial premiere, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s performance of The Road of the Phoebe Snow took the initial choreography and intensified it like never before. This particular repertory got particular attention. Furthermore, the fact that they performed it also shows how interconnected the Black dancer community is.

Dancer: Charles Moore, Georgia Collins, Talley Beatty, Candace Caldwell, Joan Peters, Altovise Gore, Jerome Jeffreys, Nat Horne, and Herman Howell
Choreographer: Talley Beatty
Music: Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington
Costumes: Lew Smith
Lighting: Nicholai Cernevitch

Sources: 

The Road of the Phoebe Snow, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Beatty’s ‘Road of Phoebe Snow’ Is Still Jarring Dance Audiences, The New York Times
Dance: Beatty’s Ghetto, The New York Times
Valerie Bettis; Robert Cohan and Matt Turney; Talley Beatty & Company [Program-239], Jacobs Pillow Archive
The Road of The Phoebe Snow, Jacobs Pillow Archive
Patsy Gay, Jacob’s Pillow
  Sana Jawa