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Master Juba’s real name was William Henry Lane. He was born a free black man in Rhode Island in 1825, and began his career as a performer in minstrel shows. He played the banjo and the tambourine and could imitate the moves of all of the best dancers of his time. Later he created his own innovations and danced his way to international fame.
Apr 22, 2021 · 199. 11K views 2 years ago. Master Juba is widely recognized as the father of tap dance, yet little is known about his personal life. He visited Ireland in 1849, when the country was slowly...
William Henry Lane1825–c. 1852. Dancer. William Henry Lane is "probably the first famous figure in tap dancing," according to Smithsonian magazine. Also known as "Master Juba," he got his stage name from a word that signified a rhythmic dance that came over to America with Africans on slave ships. According to the Smithsonian, in the 1840s ...
Feb 24, 2015 · One such character was Master Juba, played by free-born African American William Henry Lane. Lane’s character is easily one of the most recognizable personas in minstrel history, and the surname quickly evolved into a stock title for black characters.
Sep 17, 2023 · Lane combined patting juba with the jig and reel dances that he had learned from his poor Irish neighbors, and added many other ethnic dance steps he had learned, such as the shuffle, the slide, buckdancing, pigeon wing, and clog into a new dance that became known as tap dancing.
Dec 31, 2012 · William Henry Lane (a.k.a. Master Juba) performed in minstrel shows, which were popular from 1840 until 1890. Up until 1838, only white performers in blackface took part in these shows. When Master Juba began performing, he too was forced to wear blackface -- in order to look like a white man dressed up as a black man.
Mar 7, 2018 · William Henry Lane, know as “Master Juba” on stage, was the most renowned black stage performer prior to the 1850’s. William performed with minstrel shows (Ethiopian Serenaders) and toured not only in the U.S. but to Europe. He was the first African American to perform in England.
