--Half of the dance team Dixon and Doyle. Pioneer character dancer Harland Dixon was not the greatest dancer but was a very good one and was considered one of the most durable and adaptable dancers around. Started to learn to dance around age 12 in his local Gymnasium and has stated that for about a year he made a nuisance of himself whenever they would let him dance. Is said to have got his real calling when watching Johnny Ford and Mamie Gerhue dance in Lovers and Lunatics at the Grand Theatre in Toronto.

--As young boys, Jimmy Malone and Dixon teamed up and started dancing at Stag parties doing Schottisches, Buck and Wings etc. for very low pay. While traveling with Malone, Dixon saw George Primrose and his Minstrels which influenced him greatly and upon meeting him an getting an audition, he was headed for New York. Upon arriving in New York, Dixon got a few odd jobs waiting for Primrose to return. In 1906 Primrose hired Dixon and Malone for $15 dollars a week and were off to New Jersey for their first rehearsal.

-- While on the road with the Primrose Minstrels for a year and a half, Dixon watched Primrose and

worked out a new style, based upon Primrose except basically would do the exact opposite almost a comedy version of Primrose. Primrose was upright, Dixon slouched, Primrose straight legged movements on Dixon were bent etc. His style had allot of jaunty upper body and shoulder movements as well.

-- In 1907 Dixon left Primrose's Minstrels and started touring on his own with the Dockstader's Minstrels. Upon this tour he was impressed by a Jig dancer by the name of Jimmy Monahan who he says he stole allot of his moves from. He got many of his hand gestures from dancer Henry E. Dixey. Dixon could and did copy everyone he saw and modified the movements/ steps a little to make them his own. However he did create some unusual steps of his own such as his Shoulder Twists and Knee-Snap which was to become used by most of the dancers of the day.

-- In 1908 Dixon gave up his wooden shoes for split shoes and received a better offer to dance on the Orpheum Circuit, Dockstader was said not to be very happy. Dixon was now teamed up with dancer Jack Corcoran and finally working for a small time in Burlesque up to about 1912 when he teamed with Jimmy Doyle, now dressing in Top Hats and Tails, headed for the Broadway Theatre . After a few brief but successful appearances on small Broadway shows they appeared in Broadway to Paris doing what was called "Character dances" which was becoming the vogue at the time. They would sing, dance and do a version of a Challenge dance offering contrast to their routine. Dixon would do a step and Doyle would do it differently etc. One of their skits was the exchanging of hats, Doyle's head was much bigger than Dixon's, and after they swapped hats during a split, they would come up with odd looking expressions with hats that didn't fit. Dixon and Doyle danced together for a total of nine years, with Dixon leaving to dance on his own.

-- Dixon had a knack for the character dances and imitated them all; Indian, Irish, Russian, Chinese, Negro Coon, Constable, Tramp, City Slicker etc. As Tap dance and Vaudeville went out of style due to Radio and

Films