If you want to take a break from worrying about [Pick One: the rent, the mortgage, the job, the friend, the wars, the boarded up stores, the dwindling larder, the future], check out the dazzling rhythms, moves and stars of the Harlem Renaissance – it is Black History Month after all – in this cool production.
The chorus of dancers who opened the Cotton Club and then the Apollo in the 30s brought together young black women looking for a way to support themselves that didn’t cost them their souls. This group, many of whom were mentored by the oldest among them, Bertye Lou Wood, developed their own signature style of dance by removing the taps from their tap shoes and putting the shuffle into the boogie.
In the 2006 documentary “Been Rich All My Life,” we meet them as performers in their 80s and 90s. They came back together in 1985 to form the Silver Belles, appearing on stage and teaching master classes to preserve their unique technique. As they talk about their past experiences, we are taken on a journey into Black history from a little-known perspective.
In Harlem, they were stars, living a charmed if exhausting life. As they went on the road and traveled through the South, they were suddenly subjected to the insults of segregation. However, dancing also gave them an opportunity to travel abroad with luminaries like Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, where they were greeted as celebrities.
The Harlem Renaissance was not without its exploitations and the girls decided to strike. They worked very long hours seven days a week, put on numerous daily shows while simultaneously rehearsing the next week’s routines. When they struck for better wages, their victory led to the founding of the American Guild of Variety Artists, serving entertainers of all races. Seven decades later you can feel the fight in them and admire the way they use their feet to change their world.
These women are as clear-headed, independent and kick-butt as my own best lasses. If you want to mark Black History Month with glorious sexy dance combined with an affecting solidarity among artists who have been together for 70 years, then perhaps your library, like mine, holds this fabulous cinematic delight.
To see the trailer, click here.
Katz, I loved this film too, and I happen to know the filmmaker, Heather MacDonald. She's wildly talented. Susan
Posted by: Dr. Susan Corso | 12 February 2009 at 08:08
Please, Susan, give Heather MacDonald my highest regard. The history of working women is so infrequently told that this film is all that more precious.
Sue
Posted by: Sue Katz | 12 February 2009 at 08:15
Thanks so much! I had never heard of this film but of course who else would shine a light on a little gem. Happy Valentine's Day!
Posted by: Mia | 14 February 2009 at 16:29