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Stage Name |
Birth Name |
| 'Buddy'
Bradley |
Clarence
'Buddy' Bradley |
Buddy grew up in Harrisburg, PA and was primarily
a self taught dancer, picking up the dances of the day, he became
very good. Buddy's Father died when he was just a child and was
raised by his religious mother, but by the age of fourteen his
mother had passed away which led Buddy to Utica, New York where
he stayed at Mrs. Douglas 133rd St. Boarding House temporarily
working as a hotel busboy. This Boarding House is where Buddy
would get his calling to entertain as the House was full of entertainers
and show people. Bradley would practice his steps in a back Alley
near Connie's Inn, unknowingly honing his craft.
Buddy's first professional job as a dancer was
at the Kentucky Club and Connie's Inn (Uptown) when his friend
Thaddeus Drayton recommended him to Leonard Harper who was producing
the shows at these clubs. Harper needed Chorus Boys and hired
him on the spot, where he remained at Connie's Inn, learning his
skills for over a year, becoming one of the best young dancers
of Harlem. |
Continuing to dance
when he turned eighteen he made his solo debut as a dancer in
the Florence Mills
Revue in New York. In 1928, Buddy met Billy Pierce, a white man
who wanted to start a dance studio for white stars, such as Fred
Astaire, Lucille Ball, Mae West, and Eleanor Powell and more.
Buddy was hired to teach them the popular dances of the day. Bradley
met and was hired to coach Irene Delroy in a dance routine for
the Greenwich Follies of 1928 at the Imperial Theatre. This would
prove to be his big break as Irene was a hit with the show and
the producer of the show Morris Green asked Bradley to re choreograph
the entire production, however Busby Berkley would get the credit.
Bradley gives credit to dancer and Stage performer
Eddie Rector, and claims
Rector as Buddy's mentor and idol. Buddy was not the best solo
dancer but his choreography during this time period was amazing.
He had a great talent for translating the accents of improvising
jazz soloists into dance patterns that were new to Broadway as
well as an eye for designing dance steps to fit the individual
dancers personality. Bradley generally ignored the melody and
followed the soloists to get a fresh rhythmic pattern to his steps.
He was so good in fact that he would go on to either fix or
Stage many dances for many Broadway Stage revues such as
"Ziegfeld Follies", George White "Scandals",
"Earl Carroll's Revues" and Lew Leslies "Blackbirds"
during the nineteen-twenties and thirties, however because of
his color he never got credit while in the USA.
--In 1933 Buddy was hired by Charles Cochran (The Ziegfeld of
England) and went to London to Stage the shows on the Rodgers
and Hart musical "Evergreen". It was the first time
a black dancer had choreographed and Staged an all white show.
Bradley made many trips back and forth from England to the States,
but eventually made his home in England were he taught, Staged
and Choreographed for many Stage, Film and TV Shows well into
the 1960s. When Buddy left the states, Pierce replaced Buddy with
Herbie Holder. Frank Harrington and Roland Holder were assistants
to Bradley.
--
Buddy would join forces on many projects with many well known
dance stars such as George Balanchine,
Anton Dolin and Vera Zorina, Massine,
Frederick Ashton and Markova for Sadler Wells. Basically Buddy
was the best kept secret in dance choreography. Buddy passed away
in 1972 in New York, New York.
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