dirac Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Rare footage of a young Louis Johnson. Quote In 1950, a young Black man traveled north from Washington to New York City. He was stunningly handsome and on the shorter side; his cheekbones sat high in a face hewed for the screen. Against all odds, the 19-year-old Louis Johnson had been accepted into the School of American Ballet; later on, he would describe himself as the “first Black Black” student there. Link to comment
dirac Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Johnson is remembered in The Amsterdam News. Quote During an interview with Historymakers.com in 2005, Johnson elaborated on his formative years. “I tap danced around with my acrobatics, and there was a gentleman named Derwood Brent and Melvin Hope who tap danced. There was a thing in Washington [D.C.] called The New Faces Guild that Ralph Matthews started. He gave a show once a year at the Lincoln Theatre, which was the only theater that Black people could go to.” Johnson gradually became adept at tap dancing and tumbling and later joined a troupe headed by the comedian Nipsey Russell. “He was a great acrobat like the ones you see in the circus and he taught the young kids to do that.” Link to comment
Recommended Posts