About this episode

This episode explores the life and legacy of Buddy Bradley, an influential but underrecognized figure in dance.

Buddy Bradley, born in the Jim Crow South in 1905, made his way to Harlem at age 16 where he learned to tap dance and became a chorus boy. He was sought out on Broadway as both teacher and choreographer, but never got the credit he deserved, and he moved to London in the 1930s where he had a hugely successful career as a dance director on stage and in film. Although his name isn’t well known today, his influence lives on in dance. Joining me in this episode is Maureen Footer, author of Feel the Floor: Restoring the Life and Legacy of Jazz Choreographer Buddy Bradley . Our theme song is “ Frogs Legs Rag ,” composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “ That 'jazz' dance ,” composed by W. Benton Overstreet and performed by Handy’s Orchestra on September 21, 1917, in New York City; the recording is in the public domain and is available through the Library of Congress National Jukebox. The episode image is Buddy Bradley teaching at the West End dance school ; the image is used under a Creative Commons license and is held in the Mander & Mitchenson Collection of the University of Bristol Theatre Collection…

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