As her first major solo show opens at Bosse & Baum during London Gallery Weekend, we speak to the artist about her art, her activism and what it was like growing up in rural Yorkshire
Black Dancers Celebrate Josephine Baker’s Legacy Essence 2 hrs ago
“Josephine Baker was a trendsetter and the trend, in my opinion, was Blackness,” award-winning ballet soloist Gabe Stone Sheyer said poignantly about the legacy of the renowned dancer 100 years after she made her debut in the Broadway musical Shuffle Along. “She had an amazing unfiltered approach to speaking, dressing, and performing without watering herself down.”
Born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, the American-bred French entertainer was a trailblazer in her own right and one of the most successful Black performers to have ever lived. At the age of 15 she ran away from home to join an African American theatre troupe after creating her own opportunities by dancing in the streets to collect money.
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