Waltzing in the Dark : African American Vaudeville and Race Politics in the Swing Era

The career of Norton and Margot, a ballroom dance team whose work was thwarted by the racial tenets of the era, serves as the barometer of the times and acts as the tour guide on this excursion through the worlds of African American vaudeville, black and white America during the swing era, the European touring circuit, and pre-Civil Rights era racial etiquette. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 7 Foreword......Page 8 Part I......Page 10 1 The Race Trope in Swing Era Performance......Page 12 2 From Marjorie to Margot......Page 46 3 “You Didn’t Go Downtown—Everything Was Uptown”: Harlem, U.S.A.......Page 66 4 Who’s Got His Own: Black Creativity as Commodity......Page 92 Part II......Page 126 5 Color and Caste in Black and White: Performing at Home and Abroad......Page 128 Part III......Page 204 6 Coda to a Dream Deferred......Page 206 7 Legacy: All That Jazz......Page 222 Chronology: Margot Webb’s Professional Career......Page 250 Notes......Page 255 References......Page 272 B......Page 279 C......Page 280 E......Page 281 H......Page 282 J......Page 283 M......Page 284 O......Page 285 R......Page 286 S......Page 287 W......Page 288 Z......Page 289 Le 4e de couverture indique : This unique study focuses on the social, racial, and artistic climate for African American performers working during the swing era - roughly the late 1920s through the 1940s. The career of Norton and Margot, a ballroom dance team whose work was thwarted by the racial tenets of the era, serves as a tour guide and barometer of the times on this excursion through the worlds of African American vaudeville, separate black and white Americas, the European touring circuit, and pre-Civil Rights era racial etiquette

This unique study focuses on the social, racial, and artistic climate for African American performers working during the swing era—roughly the late 1920s through the 1940s. The career of Norton and Margot, a ballroom dance team whose work was thwarted by the racial tenets of the era, serves as a tour guide and barometer of the times on this excursion through the worlds of African American vaudeville, separate black and white Americas, the European touring circuit, and pre-Civil Rights era racial etiquette.

"This study focuses on the social, racial, and artistic climate for African American performers working during the swing era - roughly the late 1920s through the 1940s. The career of Norton and Margot, a ballroom dance team whose work was thwarted by the racial tenets of the era, serves as a tour guide and barometer of the times on this excursion through the worlds of African American vaudeville, separate black and white Americas, the European touring circuit, and pre-Civil Rights era racial etiquette."--Jacket 1. The race trope in swing era performance 2. From Marjorie to Margot 3. "You didn't go downtown : everything was uptown": Harlem, U.S.A. 4. Who's got his own: Black creativity as commodity 5. Color and caste in black and white: performing at home and abroad 6. Coda to a dream deferred 7. Legacy: all that jazz Chronology: Margot Webb's professional career. Examines the social, racial, and artistic climate for African American performers from the late 1920s through the 1940s. Takes a tour through the worlds of African American vaudeville, black and white America during the swing era, the European touring circuit, and pre-Civil Rights racial etiquette I enter a Manhattan subway and board a crowded train.