About This Orbit: First Negro Classical Ballet
In 1946, Joseph Rickard (1918-1994), a dancer with a knack for teaching and choreography who had moved to Los Angeles to study ballet with Bronislava and Irina Nijinska as one of their first students, witnessed an African-American child being denied ballet classes because of her race. In 1947, wanting to give an opportunity to dance and choreograph a classic ballet to the African-American community, Rickard opened the First Negro Classical Ballet in 1947. When he opened the school, he accepted the little girl he witnessed being denied class and her mother, Bernice Harrison, who became the leading ballerina of the First Negro Classical Ballet.
Rickard mentioned before one of their first performances that it marked “the first time that a group of this type has been presented in America,” and that “the progress of this group of students has never been equaled in the history of ballet.” The First Negro Classical Ballet predated the Dance Theatre of Harlem, often-times referred to as the first African-American ballet company, which was founded in New York City in 1969. The First Negro Classical Ballet first performed in Los Angeles, California at the Danish Auditorium on West 24th Street on October 19, 1946, with their debut professional performance at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre on November 19, 1949, and performed together for the next ten years before it was dissolved.
Previous African-American ballet companies had only lasted for a little longer than a year, including Katherine Dunham’s Ballet Nègre in 1930 and Eugene von Grona’s American Negro Ballet in 1937. Both of those companies dealt with a lack of funding and sponsors following the Great Depression. After World War II, there was an audience for ballets that was growing, and Los Angeles had trouble attracting East Coast companies to perform there because of the distance, so the First Negro Classical Ballet became Los Angeles’s company.
The dance school was located in an abandoned ballroom on the corner of Jefferson and Normandie, in a Black neighborhood that was a bit west of downtown Los Angeles. The floor was not suitable for dance because it was waxed, so Rickard brought a tarp for the dancers to dance on and chairs as a barre. He had a job at Paramount Pictures’ mailroom and sometimes lived in the ballroom and drove an ice cream truck to save and raise money for the company. Rickard’s white colleagues at Paramount Pictures, like Nancy Cappola, Robert Usher, and Richard Kollorsz, helped the FNCB by offering their services including costume design and set design. Other friends of Rickard’s donated their time and resources to help a multiethnic dance company contribute to the dance world. Rickard wanted to combat the stereotypes that Black people did not have the bodies or the ability to dance ballet, so he posted notices in public spaces–local grocery stores, record stores, and gymnasiums–to encourage dancers wherever he was able to.
Rickard’s company included a diverse group ranging from mostly Black dancers to a few Latino dancers and one White dancer. Dancers of the company included Theodore Crum, Bernice Harrison, Graham Johnson, James Truitte, Donald Stinson, Yvonne Miller, Gene Hill Sagan, Ardie Allison, Shirley Vargas, and Diane Gordon. Many of the dancers had little training in classical dance, which posed a challenge. As a result, dancers had to practice long hours for little or no pay. Many led dual lives as they worked in various jobs during the day, and studied dance at night and during the weekday.
The company did have its own resident composer and pianist, Claudius Wilson, an African American, who was born in New Orleans and attended Dillard University. The company’s repertoire included: Cinderella (music by Claudius Wilson), Streetlight, Raisin’ Cane, Harlot’s House (music by Claudius Wilson), A Little China Figure (music by Camille Saint-Saens), Landscape/Southern Landscape, Variations Classiques (music by Bach), Trois Études de Danse (music by Chopin), Symphonic Etudes (music by Robert Schumann), Rondo Capriccioso (music by Felix Mendelssohn), and Tales from the Vienna Woods (music by Johann Strauss). The FNCB performed unique dances that they created with music created specifically for them, instead of pieces normally performed by companies like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. This was a way for FNCB to have agency in their own ballet company.
Joseph Rickard and another choreographer, Edward Flemyng, combined their companies, the First Negro Classic Ballet and Flemyng’s New York Negro Ballet, in 1956. With the original company members, Rickard’s choreography, and Wilson’s music, the new company performed on tour in the United Kingdom and became the “unofficial American ambassador of African American ballet abroad.” The company’s performances came to a halt when their main sponsor died in 1959. Company dancers went on to perform in films such as Finian’s Rainbow, An American in Paris, Showboat, and Carmen Jones.
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, Pacific Historical Review
1947: First Negro Classical Ballet Debuts, MoBBallet
Joseph Rickard Papers, The Huntington Library
A Ballet Troupe’s History Recaptured, Los Angeles Times
Nijinska’s Hollywood Ballet
Nijinska’s Hollywood Ballet was a ballet school run by Bronislava and Irina Nijinska, the sister and niece of Polish-Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Joseph Rickard, the founder of the First Negro Classical Ballet, trained with the Nijinskas after moving to Los Angeles in the 1930s.
Source:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, University of La Verne
Joseph Rickard
Joseph Rickard was born September 17, 1918 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In the 1930s, he moved to Los Angeles to study ballet with Bronislava and Irina Nijinska, the sister of Polish-Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. But Rickard was truly gifted at teaching and choreographing, which is part of the reason why, when he saw an African-American child being denied ballet classes because of her race in 1946, he decided to start a dance studio in order to train African-American dancers in classical ballet.
Before one of the company’s first performances, Rickard noted that it marked “the first time that a group of this type has been presented in America” and that “the progress of this group of students has never been equalled in the history of ballet.” The First Negro Classical Ballet debuted in Los Angeles, California in 1947, and performed together for the next ten years before it was dissolved.
Sources:
Joseph Rickard Papers, The Huntington Library
Sentinel Sponsored Ballet Recital Oct. 19, Los Angeles Sentinel
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, University of La Verne
Vaulted Ambitions: Stories From Where We Were to How We Got Here, Stage Raw
Bernice Harrison
Bernice Harrison was the mother of the African-American girl whom Joseph Rickard saw being turned away from ballet classes, the instance that initially sparked his interest in creating the First Negro Classical Ballet. Harrison’s daughter was one of the first pupils of Joseph Rickard’s company. Harrison became one of the prima ballerinas of the company after taking classes at the school. She was a former seamstress and mother of three who would bring her kids to rehearsal. Critics celebrated Harrison for being a leading ballet dancer who was also a mother. She became a symbol of the troupe and performed in many productions as prima ballerina. The company’s first all-Black performance, sponsored by the Alpha Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at the Sartu Theater, included Harrison as the prima ballerina. Harrison was also a part of the company’s debut in the Assistance League Playhouse with a program of a piece called L’ Harlequin, a new version of the opera Pagliacci, and Harlot’s House. She also danced as a co-principle alongside Yvonne Miller at the Philharmonic Auditorium and was called one of the most promising ballet artists of America. Harrison premiered in many of the company’s productions throughout its existence.
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, Pacific Historical Review
Negro Ballet in Local Bow, Los Angeles Sentinel
Alphas To Present Ballet, Los Angeles Sentinel
First Negro Classic Ballet A Huge Success, Los Angeles Sentinel
Graham Johnson
Graham Johnson was one of the five stars of the First Negro Classical Ballet and frequently performed duets with Bernice Harrison. Johnson was very skilled at dancing and, later, choreographing, both of which were skills he was able to cultivate with the First Negro Classical Ballet. Johnson became one of the company’s seven directors as well. He performed in Cinderella (1948), Harlot’s House, Little China Figure (1947), Symphonic Etudes (1948), and Tales from the Vienna Woods. After the dissolution of the FNCB, Johnson joined the New York Negro Ballet, which was its successor. He choreographed Raisin’ Cane, which was “a story about Southern sugar-cane farmers that integrated the romance of classical music with jazz elements and a style that incorporated African-American themes” and featured music by Claudius Wilson.
Source:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles
James Truitte
James Truitte danced for the First Negro Classical Ballet and was one of the first dancers to join the troupe. Many critics commented on his sensitivity and maturity during performances. One of these critics stated, “[He] approached dance and dances with a sense of genial detachment that made him a clear-eyed, gifted teacher exponent of the [Lester] Horton technique, as well as a witty raconteur and a wry observer of American dance history.”
Source:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, University of La Verne
Theodore Crum
Joseph Rickard met Theodore Crum, also known as Theodore Duncan, at a record store purchasing an album of Peter Ilyich, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Crum was identified as one of the leading dancers of FNCB alongside Graham Johnson, during the company’s production at the Philharmonic Auditorium. He was applauded as one of the premier exhibitionists of the ballet, as an extremely versatile dancer, and as a great performer for classical, demi-character, and character roles. Crum also premiered as one of the leading male dancers alongside Johnson when the company performed at the Sartu Theater, sponsored by Alpha Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Crum’s repertoire with First Negro Classic Ballet included the role of an Ugly Sister in Cinderella (1948) as well as roles in Harlot’s House (1949), Pagliacci (1949), and Symphonic Etudes (1948).
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Post War Los Angeles, Pacific Historical Review
First Negro Classic Ballet A Huge Success, Los Angeles Sentinel
Alphas To Present Ballet, Los Angeles Sentinel
Yvonne Miller
Yvonne Miller became one of the top five main dancers of the troupe as well as being one of the seven directors of the company. She performed as one of the co-principal dancers alongside Bernice Harrison at the Philharmonic Auditorium. Miller starred as the fairy godmother with excellent costuming for a syncopated version of Cinderella. She was identified as one of the leading young artists of the group and as one of the most promising ballet artists of America. She also danced in the company’s modern dance production at the Assistance League Playhouse. Miller’s repertoire with the company included Harlot’s House (1949), Pagliacci (1949), Cinderella (1948), Little China Figure (1948), Bach’s Variations Classique, Landscape, and Symphonic Etudes (1948). Miller, along with her fellow dancers, was praised for “executing magnificently the classic ballet interpolations” in a December 1949 performance.
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Post War Los Angeles, Pacific Historical Review
First Negro Classic Ballet A Huge Success, Los Angeles Sentinel
Music and the Arts, Los Angeles Sentinel
Negro Ballet In Local Bow, Los Angeles Sentinel
Eugene Hill Sagan
Eugene Hill Sagan, also known as Gene Sagan or Arthur Eugene Hill, was one of the 35 total dancers of the New York Negro Ballet, the company that merged with First Negro Classical Ballet in 1959.
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles
Dance Me to the End of the War, Haaretz
Ardie Allison
Ardie Allison was an original member of the First Negro Classical Ballet. He was trained by Joseph Rickard. Allison was a cast member in many First Negro Classical Ballet productions including Pagliacci, Swan Lake, Raisin’ Cane, Don Quixote, and Waltze. He also helped stage Sleeping Beauty. Ardie was mentioned as a supporting dancer for performances at the Assistance League Playhouse, Philharmonic Auditorium, the Pomona Bowl, the Redlands Bowl, and the Marine Theatre.
Sources:
First Negro Classic Ballet Huge Success, Los Angeles Sentinel
Ballet to be Repeated Fri. Sat. by Demand, Los Angeles Sentinel
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, University of La Verne
Dancing Many Drums: Excavations In African American Dance, Thomas F. Defrantz
Shirley Vargas
Shirley Vargas danced for the First Negro Classical Ballet in supporting roles to premier dancers in the company such as Graham Johnson, Bernice Harrison, Theodore Crum, and Yvonne Miller. Vargas was noted as a part of the supporting cast who had “danced their respective parts with an air of cooperative enthusiasm that recalled the mutual give and take of all ballet dancers.”
Sources:
First Negro Classic Ballet Huge Success, Los Angeles Sentinel
Ballet to be Repeated Fri. Sat. by Demand, Los Angeles Sentinel
Diane Gordon
FNCB included many dancers of mostly African-American roots with some Hispanic dancers and the company’s one white dancer, Diane Gordon. She made her debut with the company at the Assistance League Playhouse, in a performance in which she danced Tales From Vienna Woods and was also included in the troupe’s sold-out performance at the Philharmonic Theater.
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Post War Los Angeles, Pacific Historical Review
All The World’s a Stage, Los Angeles Sentinel
Ballet Opens July 11 at Playhouse, Los Angeles Sentinel
Donald Stinson
Donald Stinson was a dancer with the First Negro Classical Ballet. As an original member, he performed in various productions with the troupe like Cinderella, Streetlight, Raisin’ Cane, Harlot’s House, A Little China Figure, Landscape/Southern Landscape, Variations Classiques, and Trois Études de Danse. He has performed at the Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre, Assistance League Playhouse, and the Philharmonic Auditorium.
Source:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, University of La Verne
Claudius Wilson
Claudius Wilson moved to Los Angeles around the time FNCB was created. He met Rickard at the Gray’s Conservatory of Music when he was teaching piano. He was then persuaded by Joseph Rickard to join the company as their pianist and resident composer. After being with the group for a year, he began composing ballet scores and collaborated with Rickard on new productions for the company. One critic described his work as a “Neo-Debussyan cocktail lounge piano score.” He contributed works to FNCB productions like Harlot’s House, Raisin’ Cane, Cinderella, Pagliacci, and Swan Lake.
Sources:
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, University of La Verne
First Negro Classic Ballet Huge Success, Los Angeles Sentinel
Negro Classic Ballet holds Auditions, Los Angeles Sentinel
Negro Ballet, Los Angeles Sentinel
All-Star Ballet Opens Fri. Night, Los Angeles Sentinel
Central Avenue and Beyond, Huntington Library
New York Negro Ballet
Joseph Rickard and Edward Flemyng combined their companies, The First Negro Classic Ballet and Flemyng’s New York Negro Ballet, in 1956. With the original company members, Rickard’s choreography, and Wilson’s music, the new company performed on tour in the United Kingdom and became the “unofficial American ambassador of African American ballet abroad.” The company’s performances came to a halt when their main sponsor died in 1959. Company dancers went on to perform in films such as Finian’s Rainbow, An American in Paris, Showboat, and Carmen Jones.
Source:
Ward Fleming found Ballet Americana/New York Negro Ballet, MoBBallet
Faith Rodriguez, Nicole Toney, and Deja Cunningham
