“ . . . An urgent offering that brings forward [Buddy] Bradley’s unlikely achievement as an African American dance artist . . . A triumph of research and compassion.”
—Dr. Thomas De Frantz, author of Dancing Many Drums: Excavations in African American Dance
The first biography of the deeply influential and unjustly overlooked Black choreographer and dancer Buddy Bradley
Buddy Bradley is the most influential dancer and choreographer almost no one’s ever heard of. He brought the rhythms and style of Black movement, from tap to vernacular jazz dance, first into white theatrical spaces, then into the movies, and finally into ballet. But for years, as a Black choreographer in America, his work went uncredited.
Feel the Floor is the first biography of the brilliant choreographer who rose from poverty to indelibly reshape theatrical and concert dance in the 20th century. By resurrecting this critical artist and tracing his jazz-infused influence on white performing stages, cultural historian Maureen Footer reveals the overlooked role of Black people in the history of Euro-American dance.
Footer uncovers how Bradley’s Africanist-inflected choreography revitalized Broadway in the 1920s and took London’s West End by storm in the 1930s. His impact surfaces not only the aesthetic of rising ballet choreographers George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton, but it also paved the way for the likes of Jerome Robbins in the 1950s.
A feat of exhaustive research and timely reclamation, Footer rewrites the history of Euro-American dance to show how Bradley’s contributions still reverberate in Broadway theaters and Balanchine ballets to this day.
“Finally! A meticulously researched biography of Buddy Bradley, the visionary choreographer who revolutionized jazz and tap dance, electrified Broadway, and transformed London’s West End. With passionate narrative drive, Maureen Footer restores Bradley’s rightful place in dance history, tracing influences from across geographies, performance genres, and shifting social circumstances. A celebration of artistry, resilience, and cultural legacy, this book is essential reading for anyone passionate about dance, history, and the fight for recognition.”
—Thomas F. DeFrantz, author of Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s Embodiment of African American Culture
“With exemplary research and insights into the life and work of Buddy Bradley, one of the legends of the dance world, Maureen Footer places into the spotlight an innovative yet often overlooked choreographer. Feel the Floor is an engaging, informative, and accessible biography that will appeal not only to anyone interested in the history of dance but also musical theatre and cinema.”
—Stephen Bourne, author of Black in the British Frame: Black People in British Film and Television 1896-1996
“Descended from free, landowning Southern Blacks, Buddy Bradley claimed his territory as an innovative jazz tap dancer and choreographer. He began in Harlem Renaissance New York, then, when segregation dwarfed his ambitions, he moved to London. There, artists and audiences were eager to see a multilingual choreography, which joined jazz tap to ballet and musical theater. His work was brilliant and wide ranging. So is Maureen Footer’s biography. With historical rigor and narrative elegance, she restores the life and art of an American dance genius.”
—Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland
“Feel the Floor tells the rich, layered story of choreographer Buddy Bradley and his journey from Alabama to Harlem and on to London’s West End. Maureen Footer weaves a compelling tale, showing how Buddy Bradley’s influence on dance on both stage and screen spread across the Atlantic and brought the dance culture of the Black American South to the world.”
—W. Ralph Eubanks, author of When It’s Darkness on the Delta