Hemsley Winfield: The Forgotten Pioneer of Modern Dance: An Annotated Bibliography

by Nelson D. Neal Ed.D., Diane Harrison (Editor)

This annotated bibliography follows the acting and dancing career of Hemsley Winfield a contemporary of the pioneering, first generation of American modern dancers Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and Helen Tamiris. He and his modern dance company The New Negro Art Theatre Dance Group performed to critical acclaim, in New York City, from 1931 to 1934. Winfield was the first African American under contract to The Metropolitan Opera, when he danced the role of the Congo Witch-Doctor in "The Emperor Jones" opera in 1933. Unfortunately, Hemsley Winfield did not have as lengthy a career as other modern dancers because he died of pneumonia on January 15, 1934, at the age of 26 years and 9 months.

126 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2016

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[Wisconsin Alumni]

Nelson D. Neal MS’74
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