Master Juba (c. 1825 – c. 1854) was anAfrican-American dancer. 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 whiteminstrel group. He began his career inManhattan'sFive Points neighborhood and moved to minstrel shows in the mid-1840s. His act featured a sequence in which he imitated famous dancers, then closed by performing in his style. In 1848, he became a sensation in Britain for his dance style, but writers treated him as an exhibit on display. Juba's popularity faded and he died around 1854, likely from overwork and malnutrition. He was largely forgotten by historians until a 1947 article byMarian Hannah Winter popularized his story. Juba's dancing style was percussive, varied in tempo and expressive. It likely incorporated Europeanfolk steps and African-derived steps used byplantation slaves. Juba was highly influential in the development oftap,jazz, andstep-dancing styles.(Full article...)
February 8:Feast day ofSaint Josephine Bakhita (Catholicism);Military Foundation Day in North Korea (1948)
.jpg) | Paula Modersohn-Becker (8 February 1876 – 20 November 1907) was a pioneering German painter who made significant contributions to the development of modern art in the early 20th century. Born inDresden, she displayed artistic talent from an early age and went on to receive formal training from local painter Bernhard Wiegandt. She then moved to join the Worpswede artists' colony in northern Germany, receiving tuition fromFritz Mackensen. Modersohn-Becker is celebrated for her role in the emergence ofExpressionism and her innovative approach to portraiture andself-portraiture. ThisSelf-Portrait at 6th Wedding Anniversary was painted in 1906 and is now in the collection of thePaula Modersohn-Becker Museum inBremen. Painting credit:Paula Modersohn-Becker Recently featured: |
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