Bruce, Sadie, 1907-1993

Sadie Bruce and her sister, Mary Bruce, each operated their own dance schools in the Bronzeville section of Chicago. Sadie Bruce's dance studio was located at 54th and Calumet; Mary Bruce's was at 58th and South Parkway. The schools gave dance and music training to thousands of Bronzeville youth, and helped build public awareness of dance and music in the Black community.

Bruce was born in Louisiana on May 6, 1907. She received early dance training from her older sister, Mary Bruce, who opened a dance school in Chicago around 1925, but would later move to New York. In 1929, She began operating her own school at 5419 S. Calumet Avenue; the school would remain at that location for the next 56 years. Bruce staged annual recitals featuring her students at various Chicago venues over the years, including the Eighth Street Theatre and the Regal Theater during the 1930s and early 1940s. In later years, these elaborate annual revues were staged at the Civic Opera House. During the 1930s, while Bruce was still working actively as a dancer in nightclubs and revues, she frequently performed in these recitals as well. Bruce's students, which included her younger sister Evelyn and other members of her extended family, also appeared at numerous charity events and other social affairs. Among Bruce’s students who went on to a professional career in dance were: Skip Cunningham, Muriel W. Foster, Rhea H. Henderson, Doris Humphries, Frank Neal, and Geraldine Williams. Artist William McBride, Jr. served as art director for the annual Sadie Bruce Dance Revue and designed the graphic art used on posters and programs for the Civic Opera House editions of the revue.

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