America's first African-American
modern dancer:
Hemsley Winfield
Nelson D. Neal, Ed.D.
Marywood University
nneal@marywood.edu
Hemsley Winfield
• Named after his mother Jeroline
Hemsley, he was born, lived, attended
school, and taught and choreographed
modern dance in Yonkers, New York.
• Born April 20, 1907
• At about age 20 (1927-1928), he
began his dance career.
• He died on January 15, 1934, he was
26 years 9 months.
Winfield’s Childhood
1921 – Winfield won a dash event during a Field Day, as a
seventh grader at Yonkers, Public School 13 – He was 14
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
• Winfield as one of the actors
to perform in three one act
plays with The National
Ethiopian Art Theater at
midnight on October 15,
1924
• He was 17 years old
Lafayette Theatre
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
NEW YORK AGE
Saturday
October 11, 1924
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
THE NATIONAL ETHIOPIAN ART THEATRE, INC.
Presents
Three ONE-ACT Plays
Wednesday, October 15th, 12 o'clock Midnight
At the Lafayette Theatre 7th Ave., and 131st St.
Cast
MARION MOORE
LILLA HAWKINS
ARDELLE DABNEY
G. ALFRED WOODS
JOHN* S. BROWN, Jr.
HEMSLEY WINFIELD
ANDREW CHOYKEE
EULALIE SPENCE
EDNA THROWER
LILLIAN FA1RLEY
JOHN H. ECKLES '
JOSEPH A. STEBER
R. OSCAR FLANNER
Prices – Boxes $1.50
Orchestra $1.00
Balcony $1.25, $1.00, 75c, 50c
Tickets on Sale at Lafayette Theatre
Your presence will be appreciated
We are seeking to establish a home in Harlem for this school
We ask your cordial support to bring this about
New York Age, 1924
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
• 1925 performed a minor
part in Eugene O'Neill's All
God's Chillun and in Porgy
• He was 18 years old
• 1925 As part of the “Little
Theater movement”
Winfield started and
directed the Sekondi
Players.
• Sekondi is a city on the
south west coast of Ghana.
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
• 1926-1927 – New Negro Art Theater group continued
producing children’s plays including Cinderella, Snow White,
Re’d Riding Hood, Water Babies, and Alladin
• 1927 children’s play, The Princess and the Cat, written by
Jeroline Hemsley W infield
• 1927 He wrote Oh, a play that was performed with one other
play at the A.M.E. Church of Nepperhan Heights, Yonkers
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
• Sekondi Players performed Salome on radio
station WCGU on Sunday, February 11,
1928.
• Other radio performances included the
“Camp Meeting,” a scene from Jeroline
Hemsley’s Wade in de Water, on WOR radio
in September, 1929. © March 19, 1929
• Wade in de Water – “three act play set in
“Georgia in1885, and portrays the injustice
meted out to the Negro by the whites at that
time.” (New York Age, March 15, 1930, p. 7)
• Poster from 1929
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
• “Winfield's debut as a solo dancer was in
the Same theatre in Oscar Wilde's
‘Salome’." The New York Amsterdam News, January
17, 1934
• Poster from 1929 Cherry Lane performance
Sold on EBay
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
New York Age – Three Announcements
for the performance of Salome by Oscar Wilde
on radio station WCGU
• February 11, 1928 – New Negro Art Theatre
• February 18, 1928 – Sekondi Players Little Negro Theatre Group
• February 20, 1928 – Sekondi Players Little Negro Theatre Group
• It was noted that this was the first time a play like this was
performed over the radio.
Winfield’s Acting & Directing Career
• 1928 Performed Salome
Alhambra Theater – Harlem
• Largest in Harlem 3000 seats
Historically it discriminated
against blacks but changed
• 1931 declared bankruptcy
• In July 1928 The New
Negro Art Theater opened a
summer season of plays at
the Triangle Theater.
Winfield’s Dance Career
• Contemporary of Martha Graham,
Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman,
Hanya Holm and Katherine Dunham.
• His dance career was between 3 and 5
years (choreographer and dancer).
• “He was a pioneer in Negro concert
dancing and he had obtained an
eminence comparable to that of Paul
Robeson in the musical field.” (New York
Herald Tribune, January 16, 1934)
Winfield’s Dance Career
Died of pneumonia – had been teaching,
lecturing, and dancing, including
performances after midnight for 3 years.
“Friends attributed his death to overwork
and his devotion to training other young
Negroes.” (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 16, 1934,
p. 15)
Chronology
March 6, 1931 - Saunders Trade School
April 29, 1931 - Chanin Building Auditorium
May 1931
Repeat of April performance
May 24, 1931 – First Negro Dance Performance, Mansfield Theater, West 47th Street
Summer 1931 - intensive training of his dancers
January 1932 - Roerich Hall, 310 Riverside Drive, 3 performances
February 1932 - Roxy Theater
September 1932 - Harlem Academy
December 1932
performances
every Sunday - 229 Lenox Avenue, series of midnight
beginning Christmas evening
December 1932 - preparing for The Emperor Jones, Metropolitan Opera House, he was the
Witch Doctor
January-March 1933 – Performed as the Witch Doctor in The Emperor Jones
February 1933 - Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, a series of Sunday evening concerts
July 1933 - Lido Terrace, four outdoor recitals
Saunders Trade School – First performance, March 6,
1931, the program was billed as the “All Star Benefit
Performance for the Colored Citizens’ Unemployment and
Relief Committee of Yonkers, N.Y.”
Original name of the group
Edna Guy performed Madrassi
(Street) Nautch and A Temple
Offering, choreographed by
Ruth St. Denis.
“THE JUNGLE WEDDING.”
Scene: In Africa. Time: A
long time ago.
Scene opens, natives are
discovered in Ritual Dance.
Two native groups in a weird
routine. Tom Toms are beating
in a Barbaric rhthme [sic].
The Tom Toms stop, the
wedding Chant is mumbled.
Chant.
The bride is brought in by natives, to await her lover, who comes in
shortly with great gazel, the prize. The chief gives to him, his
daughter. The Ritual Dance begins. She is in the center with the royal
tribe dancing around her. The prince after being crowned, lifts his
beloved bride and carries her off, followed by the natives.
From Joe Nash Dance Collection
The Chanin Building, 122 east 42nd street, completed in
1928. Built for Irwin S. Chanin, one of the most notable
developers in the city.
Performance April 29, 1931. – No program found
The Mansfield Theater (256-261 West 47th Street) also known
as The Biltmore Theater, and now the Brooks Atkinson Theater.
Designed by Herbert J. Krapp and built for the Chanin Brothers,
originally named for 19th-century actor Richard Mansfield.
Opened February 15, 1926.
Performance May 24, 1931.
Isaacson (1931) of Dance Magazine wrote : “Further, the soloists
themselves are by no means on a par with the run of recitalists we know.
On the other hand the ensemble proved itself to be sincere and virile,
and superior in the possession of a native strength and artistry.”
. . . the Negro would “bring us more important innovations in the world
of dance than any other form of art,” and “that within the next five years
the biggest development in dancing will come from the Negro.”
. . . the dances “may be looked upon as the beginnings of great and
important choreographic creations - compositions which in time will
rival the productions of the Russian Ballet.”
John Martin (1931), critic for the New York Times, wrote;
“Last night's performance was scarcely one to set the subject forth that
anything like its full value, but it served to prove if nothing else that
there is a lively interest in it.
Mr. Winfield was less successful in his solo, ‘Bronze Study,’ which
proved to be merely the exhibition of an exemplary physique. It is not in
that these dances which echo and imitate the manner of the dancers of
another race that the Negro dancers are at their best, but in those in
which their forthrightness and simplicity have full play.”
Both Martin and Isaacson stated that the group should be given a second
chance in a larger space that would allow the 18 dancers to demonstrate
their talents to their best advantage.
Roerich Theater at 310 Riverside Drive opened October 13, 1929.
The building became a co-op, the Master Apartments.
Performances January 19, 30, & February 6, 1932.
Lecture-demonstrations – "Dance Appreciation
Series" on primitive dance. The speaker will be
Miss Marsh and the dancers Harry Losee and
Hemsley Winfield.
New York Times, November 8, 1931, Section 8,
p. 4.
1932
The Roxy Theater, 153 West
50th St., New York, NY.
Opened March 11, 1927
Closed and demolished March
29, 1960
Hemsley Winfield, the director of the New Negro Art Theatre, which has
just concluded a series of three recitals at Roerich Hall, is to appear with
members of his group in the stage show at the Roxy beginning on Friday.
New York Times, February 7, 1932, Section 8, p. 11.
After the performance at the Roxy Theater, John Martin
noted that Winfield had “not fallen into the trap of
reproducing ‘white’ choreography or to associating
himself with the ‘amusement business’ of Harlem.
The first would have made his company a novelty and his
company would not have lasted, and the second would
have put him the category of performances for “white
amusement seekers” (Martin, 1932).
Harlem Academy
108 West 127 St.
Performance
September 22, 1932.
Still referred to
as ballet
Ticket prices
reduced from 1931
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PROGRAMME
Announcing the Program...........Kenneth A. Jessamy
Group I
Dance of the Moods........................................Hemsley Winfield
Sundown ...............................................................................Group
Fear.......................Hemsley Winfield, Midgie Lane and Group
Plastique ................................................................................Group
Laughter.......................................Hemsley Winfield and Group
Life and Death.............................Hemsley Winfield and Group
-- Intermission -Group II
Negro.....................................................Larri Loerear and Group
Spasm..................................................................Hemsley Winfield
Ritual.........................................................Midgie Lane and Group
Topsy-cation................................................................Midgie Lane
Camp Meeting...................Hemsley Winfield and Entire Group
-- Intermission -Group III
Jungle Wedding .Hemsley Winfield, Midgie Lane and Group
Tradition..................................................................................Group
Mob.....................................................................Hemsley Winfield
Conflict .............................Hemsley Winfield and Larri Loerear
St. Louis Blues...................................................Hemsley Winfield
Orgy.............................................................................Entire Group
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ACTING STAFF
Jeroline Hemsley
Frances Francis
Mulford Lee
Management
Executive Director
Technical Director
Hemsley Winfield
C. Leo Barrow
Press Representative
Secretary
Larri Loerear
Frances Atkins
------------------------------------------------------CONCERT DANCE GROUP
Hemsley Winfield, Midgie Lane, Ollie Burgoyne, Leila Gardner, Frances Atkins, Lillian
Fisher, Mae Berkley, Dorothy Nash, Larri Loerear, Leo Barrow, Mulford Lee, Norman
Bailey, Maurice DuPont, John Thompson, Sande Brown, Jr., Arnold Savage, Rudolph
Walker, Ramon de Matas, Kenneth Jessamy, Wallace Chavis.
AUXILIARY DANCE GROUP
Viola Anderson, Dora Bacote, Edhel Purnello, Rosetta Crawford, Bruce Howard,
Kathrine Norris, Kathrine Ahnor, Kathrine Wilson, Estelle Goode, Estelle Miller, Dora
Thompson, Elise Thompson, Elinor Boxill, Dorothy Boxill, Julia Marshall, Julia
Frierson, Lula Hunt, Pauline Rivers, Lutie Maecox, Ethelyn Gilbert, Louise Mausby,
Bessie Henry, Hatile Shaw, Suzanne Smithe, Sarah Evans, Helen Goode, Jean
Hernandez, Odessa Simpkins, Olivia Warde, Vilma Young, James William, James
Boxill, James Parker, Josephine Heathman, Alexander Moody, Robert E. Lee.
------------------------------------------------------Orchestra under the direction of George Thompson
Entire Proceeds for Unemployed Actors.
Winfield Dancers To Stage Benefit
“Hemsley Winfield of 24 Wolffe
Street and his concert dance group
will appear in two ballets in a benefit
performance which the Dancers
Club will present Sunday night at
Mecca Temple, New York City.
Proceeds will be devoted to relief
and scholarship funds supported by
the organization.”
The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, NY,
Wednesday, December 7, 1932
Winfield along with 47 other dancers,
covering all styles, including modern
dancers Ruth St. Denis, Martha
Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles
Weidman, and Helen Tamiris
performed at the Mecca Temple.
The Dancers' Club was “designed to
provide living accommodations at
prices within the reach of dance
students and young professionals, and
to offer them educational, social and
relief assistance.”
The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, NY,
Wednesday, December 7, 1932
Henry Street Settlement Playhouse
263-267 Henry St. built in 1915.
Performance February 1933.
Some of the most
adventurous artists of the past
century have trained, taught,
or performed at Henry Street,
including John Cage, Aaron
Copland, Dizzy Gillespie,
Martha Graham, Alicia
Keyes, Alwin Nikolais,
Jackson Pollock, Denzel
Washington, and Orson
Welles.
http://support.henrystreet.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AAC_abt
The Emperor Jones, January 1933
“Hemsley Winfield, and his dance group from the New Negro Art
Theatre are appearing in the Metropolitan Opera Company's
production of ‘The-Emperor Jones.’
This is the first dance company to be engaged in its entirety by the
Metropolitan for appearance in a regular operatic presentation since
Pavlova and Mordkin and their company danced there during their
first two American seasons. Mr. Winfield dances the role of the Witch
Doctor” (New York Times, January, 15, 1933, Sec. 9, p. 2).
The Emperor Jones, January 1933
In his role as the Witch Doctor, Winfield was
praised for his dancing.
“Hemsley Winfield as the witch-doctor gave
a thrilling exhibition of savage dancing. His
body swayed, turned and twisted, and with
jerky staccato yet rhythmic movements, he
swung his arms about full of expression and
emotion. His dance became more frantic and
violent as the music increased in intensity.
He seemed to cast a spell upon the audience.
His scene was by far the most magnetic and
pulsating scene in the entire work” (Dance
Culture, March, p. 12).
The Emperor Jones, January 1933
“Mr. Winfield was, as a matter of fact, after Mr.
Tibbett, the hero of the occasion. Such vocalization
as he contributed, extemporary or not, was fittingly
and effectively enunciated, and his sinister and
frantic caperings as the Witch Doctor made even the
most sluggish, opera-infected blood run cold. “
. . . “For one miraculous moment Broadway receded from the
consciousness, leaving the audience stranded in the midst of a too
realistic nightmare. That this has been accomplished at the
Metropolitan it is a privilege to record, a matter of fair congratulation
to whomever was inspired to seek out Mr. Winfield and to make his
achievement possible, either through sage direction or carte blanche.”
(New York Herald Tribune, January 15, 1933)
His first performance in The Emperor Jones was January 7, 1933.
(www.archives.metoperafamily.org)
[Met Performance] CID:112640
World Premiere (The Emperor Jones)
The Emperor Jones {1}
Pagliacci {309} Matinee Broadcast ed.
Metropolitan Opera House: 01/7/1933.
Broadcast (World Premiere)
(Debuts: Hemsley Winfield, Jo Mielziner
He gave 10 performances in all but not all at the Metropolitan.
(www.archives.metoperafamily.org)
[Met Performance]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 10, 1933
Metropolitan Opera House: January 13 and 19, 1933
New York, Brooklyn: January 24, 1933
Metropolitan Opera House: January 30; February 8 and 11, 1933
Baltimore, Maryland: March 14, 1933
Matinee Metropolitan Opera House: March 18, 1933
Congo Witch Doctor......Hemsley Winfield [Last performance]
Chronology
March 6, 1931 - Saunders Trade School
April 29, 1931 - Chanin Building Auditorium
May 1931
Repeat of April performance
May 24, 1931 – First Negro Dance Performance, Mansfield Theater, West 47th Street
Summer 1931 - intensive training of his dancers
January 1932 - Roerich Hall, 310 Riverside Drive, 3 performances
February 1932 - Roxy Theater
September 1932 - Harlem Academy
December 1932
performances
every Sunday - 229 Lenox Avenue, series of midnight
beginning Christmas evening
December 1932 - preparing for The Emperor Jones, Metropolitan Opera House, he was the
Witch Doctor
January-March 1933 – Performed as the Witch Doctor in The Emperor Jones
February 1933 - Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, a series of Sunday evening concerts
July 1933 - Lido Terrace, four outdoor recitals
Before he died he is quoted as saying:
"We're building a foundation that will
make people take black dance seriously"
(New York Amsterdam News, September - October,
pp. 2-3, 8-11).
In July, 1933 Winfield gave the first of four outdoor recitals at
the Lido Terrace. The theme was “What shall the Negro dance
about?”
Winfield opened the forum discussion by stating: “all races, no
matter what color, had fundamental human feelings and ideas
to express in movement.” The Negro has primitive African
material that he should never lose. The Negro has his work
songs of the South which he alone can express. It's hard for me
to say what the Negro should dance about. What has anyone to
dance about?" (The Washington Tribune, October, 12, 1933).
The program consisted of dance interpretations of Duke
Ellington's music, including "mood Indigo," "Black and Tan
Fantasy" and "Sophisticated Lady" (Dance Notes, 1933).
The reviewer wrote that it “attracted a more than capacity
audience of colored and white people,” and referred to
Winfield as “the prominent Negro dancer” (The Washington
Tribune, October, 12, 1933).
A. Winfield’s home, 24 Wolffe St.
B. Saunders Trade School just north by
Bryn Mawr.
C. Harlem Academy, 108 west 127th St.
D. 229 Lenox St. A Landmark building
E. Roerich Hall, 310 Riverside Drive.
F. Mansfield Theater, 256 west 47th St.
G. Roxy Theater, 153 west 50th St.
H. Chanin Bldg., 122 east 42nd St.
I. Henry St. Playhouse, 263 Henry St.
Thank you for allowing
me to share the story of
Hemsley Winfield