Master Juba (c. 1825 – c. 1853) was an African American dancer active in the 1840s. He was one of the first black performers in the United States to play onstage for white audiences and the only one of the era to tour with a white minstrel group. Master Juba frequently challenged and defeated the best white dancers. In 1848, he is said to have traveled to London and became a sensation in Britain because of his unique dance style. Nevertheless, an element of exploitation followed him through the British Isles, with writers treating him as an exhibit on display. Juba subsequently faded from the limelight and died in 1852 or 1853. He was largely forgotten by historians until a 1947 article resurrected his story. Existing documents offer confused accounts of Juba's dancing style, but it was likely to have incorporated both European folk steps with African-derived steps used by plantation slaves. Blackface clowns and minstrels adopted elements of his style, which enhanced the authenticity of their performances. By impacting blackface performance, Juba was highly influential on the development of such American dance styles as tap, jazz, and step dancing.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Juba> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1742: Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington became British Prime Minister, but ended up being a figurehead for the true leader of the British Government: Lord Carteret, the Secretary of State for the Northern Department. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Compton%2C_1st_Earl_of_Wilmington> 1804: United States Navy Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a raid to destroy the captured USS Philadelphia in Tripoli, denying her use to the Barbary States in the First Barbary War. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur> 1918: The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania, proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania governed by democratic principles, despite the presence of German troops in the country during World War I. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania> 1934: The Austrian Civil War ended with the military of the First Austrian Republic defeating the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund, leaving at least several hundred people dead in the five-day conflict. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Civil_War> 1985: "The Hizballah Program" was released, describing the ideology and goals of the Shia Islamic political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah as "putting an end to any colonialist entity" in Lebanon, bringing the Phalangists to justice for "the crimes they [had] perpetrated," and establishing an Islamic regime in Lebanon. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_Hezbollah> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: glaucous (adj): 1. Of a pale green colour with a bluish-grey tinge, especially when covered with a powdery residue. 2. (botany) Covered with a bloom or a pale powdery covering, regardless of colour <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glaucous> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: All experience is an arch, to build upon. --Henry Brooks Adams <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Brooks_Adams> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
