Bryant, Marie, 1917-1978
Marie Bryant (November 6, 1917 – May 23, 1978) was a versatile and vivacious African American dancer and singer, who worked with such jazz luminaries as Duke Ellington and Lester Young. She also became a force behind-the-scenes in Hollywood as a dance teacher and movement coach, as well as a choreographer and dance director for a wide variety of entertainers working in nightclubs, film, and television.
Bryant was born in Meridian, Mississippi, but moved with her family as a child to New Orleans after a racist incident threatened their safety. By the late 1920s, she was living with her mother in Chicago and studying dance with well-known local teacher, Mary Bruce, who had a studio in the Bronzeville section of the city. Bryant participated in Bruce’s annual school recitals, which were elaborate events presented at the downtown Eighth Street Theatre. In later years, Bryant would cite Bruce as her earliest dance mentor, as well as Katherine Dunham’s influence in helping her to “finish” her performing style and technique. By the time she was a teenager (possibly as early as 1931), Bryant was working professionally in Chicago nightclubs, and, by 1934, had become a regular performer in the floorshow at the popular Grand Terrace Café, with Earl Hines and his band.
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2022-05-17 11:05:23 am |
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2021-10-21 10:10:49 am |
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2021-10-21 10:10:23 am |
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2021-07-17 04:07:30 pm |
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2021-07-17 02:07:58 pm |
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2021-02-27 12:02:42 pm |
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2021-02-18 12:02:19 pm |
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2021-02-18 12:02:18 pm |
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