Ellis, Lucille, 1919-1998

A special staying power; Dec 21, 1974; pg. A2: Katherine Dunham honored at a local charity event in Chicago, accompanied by Lucille Ellis, "an instructor of the Dunham technique at Lincoln Centre"

A dancer's farewell party; Jul 21, 1975; pg. 22; describes a party given in honor of one of Lucille Ellis' students at the Abraham Lincoln Center, who had received a scholarship to study at the Dance Theatre of Harlem School in New York

Geraldine Williams grew up on the South Side of Chicago and studied tap dance with Sadie Bruce; as an adult, she concentrated primarily on the technique of Katherine Dunham; main teachers were former Dunham company members Lucille Ellis and Tommy Gomez;
August 2, 2018: Geraldine Williams’s interview focuses on her involvement as a student and teacher of the Katherine Dunham technique; she describes a typical class, tells stories about Dunham and her other teachers, including Lucille Ellis and Tommy Gomez; cites Dunham's influence on Alyo Tolbert, who later founded Muntu Dance

Lucille Ellis; Katherine Dunham and Her Company (Nov 22, 1955 - Dec 17, 1955); Katherine Dunham and Her Company (Apr 19, 1950 - May 20, 1950); Bal Negre (Nov 07, 1946 - Dec 22, 1946); Carib Song (Sep 27, 1945 - Oct 27, 1945); Tropical Revue (Sep 19, 1943 - Nov 15, 1943);Cabin in the Sky (Oct 25, 1940 - Mar 08, 1941)

U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007: Name: Lucille Ellis; Gender: Female; Race: Black; Birth Date: 5 Oct 1919; Birth Place: Pine Bluff J, Arkansas [Pine Bluff, Arkansas]; Death Date: 12 Nov 1998; Father: Clarence Ellis; Mother: Lucy Williams

1920 United States Federal Census: Name: Lucile Ellis; Age: 0 [3/12]; Birth Year: abt 1920 [abt 1920]; Birthplace: Arkansas; Home in 1920: Pine Bluff Ward 4, Jefferson, Arkansas; Street: W Thirteenth; Residence Date: 1920; Race: Mulatto; Gender: Female; Relation to Head of House: Daughter; Marital Status: Single; Father's Name: Clarence Ellis; Mother's Name: Lucile Ellis

New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957: Name: Lucille Ellis; Arrival Date: 31 Mar 1953; Birth Date: abt 1919; Last Permanent Address: Arkansas; Age: 34; Gender: Female; Port of Departure: Le Havre, France; Port of Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Ship Name: Ile de France

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965: Name: Lucille Ellis; Gender: Female; Marital status: Single; Birth Date: 5 out 1919 (5 Oct 1919); Birth Place: Pine Bluff; Arrival Date: 1950; Arrival Place: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

notes that Lucille Ellis missed the 1995 annual seminar in East St. Louis after having had "a serious stroke" (484)

Lucille Ellis; 79; founding member of Dunham's company; died in Chicago, November 12, 1998

Chapter 11, Legacy, discusses the Annual Dunham Technique Seminar, usually held in East St. Louis, and Ellis' participation as a teacher; quotes Eartha Kitt as describing Ellis as the "head of the family" and Tommy Gomez as referring to Ellis as "Miss Dunham's sergeant" (136) and also notes that Gomez and Ellis "taught with surrogates into their seventies" (211)