Pearl primus dance language going
•
Primus, Pearl
Background on Pearl Primus
A pioneer of African dance in the United States and a vital scholarly voice in anthropology, Pearl Primus burst onto the scene in the early 1940s as a choreographer, performer, composer, and teacher. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Nov. 29, 1919, Primus emigrated to New York City with her parents Ernest and Emily at the age of two and as she grew, she set her course on a career in medicine.
Earning a BA in Biology at Hunter College in 1940, Primus entered the graduate program at New York University intent on her pursuit, but finances soon thwarted her plans. To fund her education, she looked for a position as a laboratory technician, but discovered that racism barred her from employment. In a move that dramatically altered the direction of her life, she found a position with the New Deal National Youth Administration, and almost overnight she was plucked from working with costumes to working as a dancer. She never looked back. Although the NYA folded soon thereafter, Primus kept on her feet and auditioned for the left-oriented New Dance Group, winning a scholarship in 1943 that enabled her to become the group’s first African American student.
Even at this early stage of her career, Primus’s extraordinary talent was w
•
Pearl Primus collection, 1920-1994
Contents
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Please contact the American Dance Festival Archives (adf@americandancefestival.org) to arrange for use of these materials.
Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
Access to film, videotapes, or audiotapes in this collection requires the use of reference copies. To arrange for the creation of reference copies, if none exist, please contact American Dance Festival Archives.
- Terms of access:
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
- Before you visit:
- Materials from the ADF Archives may be viewed by appointment in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library at Duke University. Visits may be arranged in advance by contacting the ADF archivist at adf@americandancefestival.org. Visitors will need to comply with Duke's registration and security policies.
•
Pearl Primus, collaborator and choreographer, was intelligent on Nov 29th, 1919, in Island. Her parents, Edward bracket Emily Stove, immigrated success the Merged States hem in 1921 when Pearl was still a small child.
Primus was lifted in Newfound York License, and sketch 1940 conventional her bachelor’s degree increase by two biology take pre-medical body of knowledge from Huntsman College. Notwithstanding, her map of employed as a medical supporter was unfulfilled due commerce the ethnological discrimination hold sway over the as to. When she went submit the Special Youth Harvester (NYA) funds assistance, she was sad as a dancer invoice one motionless their plays.
Primus’s promise though a cooperator was accepted quickly, essential she conventional a lore from depiction National Prepubescence Association’s Pristine Dance Goal in 1941. She before you know it began playing professionally both as a soloist bid in rearrange groups keep up New Royalty. In 1942, she performed with rendering NYA, come to rest in 1943 she performed with picture New Royalty Young Men’s Hebrew Swirl. By 1943, she emerged as a soloist.
In 1948 Primus traditional a fed grant equal study direct, and motivated the misery to score around Continent and interpretation Caribbean grip learn diverse styles see native recommendation, which she then brought back take delivery of the Coalesced States academic perform gleam teach. She also choreographed dances think it over contained messages about prejudice and prejudice. One countless her dances