Eugene von Grona, "Negro"music, and the Nazis

[Paul Parish]

Does anybody know much about Eugene von Grona?

Certainly Hitler persecuted the lovers of swing music, including the dancers.

Was von Grona on Hitler's list? Was he threatened with being sent to a camp? Did he have to escape?

How did he come to found the Negro Ballet?

What was the choreography like? Who were his dancers? Did they go on to other companies?

There's a link to a piece of his choreography here:

http://www.nfo.net/video/vid4.html

It looks v Busby Berkeley in its formations and schematics. Is it typical, does anybody know, of hte rest of his work?

[Mel Johnson]

Did von Grona have any contact with post-1933 Germany? He returned to Germany shortly before he died, but I think that was it! Once he left, he was gone!

[Paul Parish]

Yes, but was he MADE to leve?

Did von Grona have any contact with post-1933 Germany? He returned to Germany shortly before he died, but I think that was it! Once he left, he was gone!

[Mel Johnson]

As I understand it, from Lavinia Williams, who was a member of the First Negro Ballet Company in 1937, he came to the US in the twenties, and never went back. The Nazis had negligible power during the mid-20s, thanks to the Beer Hall Putsch, when their leaders were all thrown in jail, including Hitler, and from about 1927-1933, when they took nearly total power, they were of only middling status. They couldn't have forced Austrians back into Austria, even if they wanted!

[leonid17]

Yes, but was he MADE to leve?

Did von Grona have any contact with post-1933 Germany? He returned to Germany shortly before he died, but I think that was it! Once he left, he was gone!

Not always a reliable source but for what its worth see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Von_Grona

or http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2604410/bio

For anyone really interested see: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...,758485,00.html and

http://books.google.com/books?id=6DHlQJcMp...ona&f=false