732:
629:
603:
556:
87:. In 1906, she was featured with the Tennessee Students, and with them toured Europe, sometimes billed as "Topsy." Forsyne was the billing star with her picture on the front of the program. In London at the Alhambra Theater, Forsyne introduced her sack dance, in which she danced in a potato sack in front of a chorus line of ballet dancers in blackface.
423:
116:
By the time she was back in the United States, she was in her thirties, her
Russian dancing quickly went out of style. and Forsyne found it difficult to gain dance jobs. In addition to age, she believed her darker skintone was a barrier to employment, even in all-black shows, what she called "Black
101:
dance was her specialty, which she developed during a run in Moscow, in 1911. "I stole all the steps I could. I liked
Russian dancing so much as I wanted to be different than most colored performers," she recalled. and was hailed the "greatest Russian dancer of them all." Although Russian style
128:
prohibited Black performers to appear on stage with White performers unless they were in
Blackface. Additionally no Black performer was allowed to watch the show. Tucker refused to have Forsyne perform in Blackface but did allow her to watch the show from the wings.
55:
called the Black
Bostonians Coon Town 400. She sang a lullaby called "Drowsy Babe" as a duet with performer Rosie Grayson. Forsyne was stranded in Montana when the show ran out of money, and her mother arranged for her and one other performer to be sent home.
50:
in 1883, and raised by her mother. The family lived across the street from the
Alhambra Theater so Forsyne would watch shows from the fire escape, she recalled in an article in 1953. By age 14, Forsyne ran away to join a
90:
When returning from a tour in London, she accepted an offer from the
Marinelli Agency that would last nine years non-stop. During those nine years she found the most success. She performed at the
177:. There was a birthday tribute event to Forsyne in 1955, which allowed her to show off her dance skills in her seventies. In the 1960s, Forsyne was interviewed by oral historians of dance,
152:
in 1928. On the circuit with Bessie Smith she earned $ 35 a week and was able to reprise some of her
Russian dances. She left in 1928 and vowed never to tour the South again.
783:
140:, Connie’s Inn, and the Nest because of their preference for light-skinned chorus girls. She also did not approve of scantily-clad costumes. She traveled with
778:
758:
763:
773:
155:
Although she quit dancing in the early 1930s and worked as a domestic servant and elevator operator, she did appear in a few films, including
522:
500:
133:
707:
682:
579:
532:
510:
476:
452:
385:
338:
282:
209:
was also a dancer in vaudeville shows and on
Broadway, who also toured extensively overseas. They appeared together in a 1919 show,
768:
464:
440:
375:
326:
697:
569:
272:
788:
377:
A Century of
Musicals in Black and White: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans
136:
Black vaudeville circuit. On returning to New York, Forsyne auditioned but was not hired at Harlem nightclubs such as the
68:
in Black Patti's
Troubadours when they were in Chicago, as a dancer. She next worked in shows in New York and New Jersey.
34:
dancer who toured in Europe and Russia before World War I. Professionally she was known as the 'Queen of the Cakewalk'.
670:
487:
Bracks, Lean’tin and Smith, Jessie. Black Women of the Harlem Renaissance Era. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
719:
298:
173:
124:. At the end of Tucker’s performances, Forsyne would come out as a dancer to drum up applause. New rules on the
157:
731:
628:
602:
555:
102:
dancing was done before her in the United States’ vaudeville circuit, Forsyne brought it to the forefront.
167:
120:
From 1920 to 1922, Forsyne worked as a personal maid, both onstage and off stage to vaudeville performer,
590:
543:
753:
748:
616:
408:
666:
43:
71:
She was part of the Smart Set Company in 1902, which was an all Black show with a White producer,
224:
214:
220:
Forsyne had three husbands: James Frank Dougherty, Usher Henry Watts and Arthur Belton Hubbard.
703:
678:
575:
528:
506:
472:
448:
381:
334:
278:
194:
65:
178:
84:
245:
110:
353:
726:
623:
597:
550:
250:
206:
190:
162:
145:
742:
427:
125:
121:
331:
Vaudeville Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performances in America, Volume 1
149:
98:
91:
141:
137:
106:
274:
Staging Migrations toward an American West: From Ida B. Wells to Rhodessa Jones
31:
699:
The White Negress: Literature, Minstrelsy, and the Black-Jewish Imaginary
72:
52:
47:
642:
441:"From the Point of View of the Pavement: A Geopolitics of Black Dance"
94:
and even for the Royal Family. She received critical acclaim abroad.
524:
Babylon Girls: Black Women Performers and the Shaping of the Modern
571:
African-American Concert Dance: The Harlem Renaissance and Beyond
426:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
193:
in the choreography of the New York City Ballet’s "Cakewalk," by
591:"Negro Actors Guild's Annual Pre-Lenten Ball Largely Attended"
544:"All Show Business Pays Tribute as Ida Forsyne Marks 72 Year"
720:"Ida Forsyne Remembers When Talent Helped in Show Business"
299:"Ida Forsyne Remembers When Talent Helped in Show Business"
113:
considered her one of the dozen best dancers in Harlem.
22:(January 1, 1883 – August 19, 1983), sometimes seen as
673:
in Lean'tin L. Bracks and Jessie Carney Smith, eds.,
617:"Negro Actors Guild Felt Need, And Went to Rescue"
502:Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance
223:Ida Forsyne died at age 100, in a nursing home in
83:, the first interracial musical show, headed by
411:. Library of Congress: performing arts database
445:Big Ears: Listening for Gender in Jazz Studies
443:in Nichole T. Rustin and Sherrie Tucker eds.,
348:
346:
244:Bloom, Philip; McCarten, John (15 June 1951).
8:
574:(University of Illinois Press 2001): 73-75.
322:
320:
277:(University Press of Colorado 2014): 94-96.
499:Marshall Winslow Stearns and Jean Stearns,
467:in Cary D. Wintz and Paul Finkelman, eds.,
495:
493:
675:Black Women of the Harlem Renaissance Era
292:
290:
236:
79:in 1903, and by 1904 had a solo act in
469:Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
702:(Rutgers University Press 2011): 35.
677:(Rowman & Littlefield 2014): 82.
403:
401:
399:
397:
395:
393:
7:
784:20th-century African-American people
105:She stayed abroad until just before
779:20th-century African-American women
527:(Duke University Press 2009): 213.
447:(Duke University Press 2010): 159.
64:In 1898, at age 15, Forsyne joined
134:Theatre Owners Booking Association
16:African-American vaudeville dancer
14:
730:
627:
601:
554:
421:
759:African-American female dancers
297:Forsyne, Ida (22 August 1953).
213:. Forsyne was active with the
764:American vaudeville performers
505:(DaCapo Press 1968): 250-257.
374:Bernard L. Peterson Jr., ed.,
333:(Psychology Press ): 396-397.
1:
774:20th-century American dancers
132:In 1924, she returned to the
622:(October 29, 1949): 55. via
549:(January 15, 1955): 12. via
171:in 1938, and the 1936 film,
97:An energetic version of the
471:(Routledge 2012): 971-973.
805:
725:(August 22, 1953): 7. via
380:(ABC-CLIO 1993): 102-103.
271:Martha Effinger-Crichlow,
189:In 1951, Forsyne assisted
30:, was an African-American
643:"Ida Forsyne (1883-1983)"
596:(March 13, 1943): 4. via
75:. She was in the cast of
42:Ida Forsyne was born on
769:American female dancers
158:A Daughter of the Congo
696:Lori Harrison-Kahan,
77:Darktown's Circus Day
789:Dancers from Chicago
217:in her later years.
667:Jessie Carney Smith
44:South Side, Chicago
568:John O. Perpener,
225:Brooklyn, New York
215:Negro Actors Guild
181:and Jean Stearns.
174:The Green Pastures
195:George Balanchine
66:Sissieretta Jones
796:
735:
734:
685:
664:
658:
657:
655:
653:
639:
633:
632:
631:
613:
607:
606:
605:
588:
582:
566:
560:
559:
558:
541:
535:
519:
513:
497:
488:
485:
479:
461:
455:
437:
431:
425:
424:
420:
418:
416:
405:
388:
372:
366:
365:
363:
361:
350:
341:
324:
315:
314:
312:
310:
294:
285:
269:
263:
262:
260:
258:
241:
179:Marshall Stearns
85:Will Marion Cook
804:
803:
799:
798:
797:
795:
794:
793:
739:
738:
729:
715:
694:
689:
688:
665:
661:
651:
649:
641:
640:
636:
626:
615:John H. Brown,
614:
610:
600:
589:
585:
567:
563:
553:
542:
538:
520:
516:
498:
491:
486:
482:
463:Paul Scolieri,
462:
458:
438:
434:
422:
414:
412:
407:
406:
391:
373:
369:
359:
357:
352:
351:
344:
325:
318:
308:
306:
296:
295:
288:
270:
266:
256:
254:
243:
242:
238:
233:
203:
187:
111:Langston Hughes
81:The Southerners
62:
40:
17:
12:
11:
5:
802:
800:
792:
791:
786:
781:
776:
771:
766:
761:
756:
751:
741:
740:
737:
736:
727:Newspapers.com
714:
713:External links
711:
693:
690:
687:
686:
659:
634:
624:Newspapers.com
608:
598:Newspapers.com
583:
561:
551:Newspapers.com
536:
514:
489:
480:
456:
432:
389:
367:
356:. Street Swing
342:
316:
286:
264:
251:The New Yorker
235:
234:
232:
229:
207:Ollie Burgoyne
202:
199:
191:Ruthanna Boris
186:
183:
163:Oscar Micheaux
146:Dusty Fletcher
61:
58:
39:
36:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
801:
790:
787:
785:
782:
780:
777:
775:
772:
770:
767:
765:
762:
760:
757:
755:
752:
750:
747:
746:
744:
733:
728:
724:
721:
718:Ida Forsyne,
717:
716:
712:
710:
709:
708:9780813547824
705:
701:
700:
691:
684:
683:9780810885431
680:
676:
672:
671:"Ida Forsyne"
668:
663:
660:
648:
644:
638:
635:
630:
625:
621:
618:
612:
609:
604:
599:
595:
592:
587:
584:
581:
580:9780252026751
577:
573:
572:
565:
562:
557:
552:
548:
545:
540:
537:
534:
533:9780822390695
530:
526:
525:
521:Jayna Brown,
518:
515:
512:
511:9780306805530
508:
504:
503:
496:
494:
490:
484:
481:
478:
477:9781135455361
474:
470:
466:
465:"Ida Forsyne"
460:
457:
454:
453:9780822389224
450:
446:
442:
439:Jayna Brown,
436:
433:
429:
428:public domain
410:
409:"Ida Forsyne"
404:
402:
400:
398:
396:
394:
390:
387:
386:9780313064548
383:
379:
378:
371:
368:
355:
354:"Ida Forsyne"
349:
347:
343:
340:
339:9780415938532
336:
332:
328:
327:"Ida Forsyne"
323:
321:
317:
304:
300:
293:
291:
287:
284:
283:9781492012610
280:
276:
275:
268:
265:
253:
252:
247:
240:
237:
230:
228:
226:
221:
218:
216:
212:
208:
201:Personal life
200:
198:
196:
192:
185:Contributions
184:
182:
180:
176:
175:
170:
169:
164:
160:
159:
153:
151:
148:in 1925, and
147:
143:
139:
135:
130:
127:
126:Keith Circuit
123:
122:Sophie Tucker
118:
114:
112:
108:
103:
100:
95:
93:
88:
86:
82:
78:
74:
69:
67:
59:
57:
54:
49:
45:
37:
35:
33:
29:
25:
21:
723:New York Age
722:
698:
695:
692:Bibliography
674:
662:
650:. Retrieved
646:
637:
620:New York Age
619:
611:
594:New York Age
593:
586:
570:
564:
547:New York Age
546:
539:
523:
517:
501:
483:
468:
459:
444:
435:
413:. Retrieved
376:
370:
358:. Retrieved
330:
307:. Retrieved
303:New York Age
302:
273:
267:
255:. Retrieved
249:
246:"Cakewalker"
239:
222:
219:
210:
204:
188:
172:
166:
156:
154:
150:Bessie Smith
131:
119:
117:prejudice."
115:
104:
96:
92:Moulin Rouge
89:
80:
76:
70:
63:
41:
27:
23:
19:
18:
754:1983 deaths
749:1883 births
305:. p. 7
211:They're Off
205:Her cousin
142:Mamie Smith
138:Cotton Club
107:World War I
28:Ida Forcyne
20:Ida Forsyne
743:Categories
231:References
168:Birthright
38:Early life
32:vaudeville
24:Ida Forcen
652:April 26,
415:April 26,
360:April 26,
309:April 26,
257:April 26,
144:in 1924,
109:in 1914.
647:IMDb.com
99:kazatsky
73:Gus Hill
53:tab show
48:Illinois
165:movie,
706:
681:
578:
531:
509:
475:
451:
384:
337:
281:
60:Career
26:, or
704:ISBN
679:ISBN
654:2017
576:ISBN
529:ISBN
507:ISBN
473:ISBN
449:ISBN
417:2017
382:ISBN
362:2017
335:ISBN
311:2017
279:ISBN
259:2017
329:in
161:an
745::
669:,
645:.
492:^
392:^
345:^
319:^
301:.
289:^
248:.
227:.
197:.
46:,
656:.
430:.
419:.
364:.
313:.
261:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.