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Stage Name |
Birth Name |
| Pete
Nugent |
Pete
Nugent |
| Pete,
Peaches and Duke |
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| Society's
Sepia Sons |
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Pete's father was a Harvard Grad who ran the elevator at the White
House in Washington, D.C. Nugent ran away from home to pursue
a career in dancing at the young age of sixteen. Started dancing
with the T.O.B.A. Circuit up until 1926 when he landed a job in
the Honeymoon Lane Broadway production. He met and formed a partnership
with Irving "peaches" Beaman in Chicago around 1928
and called themselves "Pete and Peaches." From 1931
to 1937, this trio would set the pace for all who followed.
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The Light-Skinned Nugent styled himself after Eddie
Rector's Bambalina routine and Jack Wiggins Tango Twist with
the look of George Primrose. He has said that "Although a
Tap dancer first and foremost, he preferred all Body Motion and
no Tap to all Tap and no body motion. Any Hoofer can tap but what
makes the
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is the way he moves his body and travels is what gives it class."
His act consisted of Opening with a military drill with yachting
costumes and tapping in unison. Next came the solos with Beaman
starting going slow, then Nugent to a moderate tempo and finally
Duke fast ending, with the others joining in about 2/3's of the
way through the routine dancing highly synchronized and in unison.
The act finished with an exit in unison. He created his choreography
in a way that is common today but unique then by figuring out
the ending and adding the rest to work up to it.
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Nugent was always available to help another dancer with their
dancing, and would be nicknamed "Public Tapper, Number One
with many dances trying to copy his dancing and even the way he
would Walk or better known as his arrogant Swagger says Honi Coles.
Duke
was crucial to their act as he had the ideas when it came to the
steps but due to Pneumonia, Duke Miller suddenly passed away in
1937 and the act broke up. After Coles
and Atkins split up Coles and Pete Nugent opened their own
dance studio, but nobody wanted to learn to tap dance at the time
and they closed the studio. Nugent kept dancing but was finding
hard to dance to the new Bop sounds and finally retired in 1952. |
Birth Place |
Birth Date |
Spouse |
Siblings |
| n/a |
n/a |
|
?? |
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n/a |
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?? |
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Dance Types |
Dance Partners |
Music Titles |
| Bambalina |
Duke
Miller (1931) |
n/a |
| Tap |
Irving
"peaches" Beaman (1928) |
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Night Clubs |
Theaters |
Stage |
| Club
De Lisa (Chicago) |
Lafayette
Theatre |
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Billy
Eckstine's Band |
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Jump
For Joy |
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