Who is Pearl Primus?

The choreographer and educator Pearl Primus, has been described by Carl Van Vechten as “the grandmother of African-American dance.” Though initially an untrained dancer, Primus became an astounding dancer and choreographer, as her work was characterized by "speed, intensity rhythms, high jumps, and graceful leaps."

Pearl Primus was born in Trindad and played an essential role in bringing African and African people into the faces of American audiences in a postive light. She promoted African dance as an art form worthy of study and performance. She wanted to dismiss the false pretense of Africans being savages. According to Wikipedia, "It was an effort to guide the Western world to view African dance as an important and dignified statement about another way of life. Additionally, her work provided a knowledge and meaning for dances that had been plagued by distortion of movement and excessive hip shaking of the backside."

About the Writer

I am Desiree Cocroft and I am doing research on a dancer named Pearl Primus on this blog site. However, just to give you bloggers a little bit about myself. I am a "jack of all trades" kind of girl. I graduated with my MBA, and upon returning home decided to start a dance company with two friends, Signature Dance Company.

Istarted dancing informally with family members, and later it became more formal for me in the form of taking random technique classes. Most of my classes were based in hip-hop and African. Later, I began to do liturgical or interpretative dance. Within the last five years, I have taken formal training in ballet, modern and African. I am currently a student in UW-Milwaukee's dance program.

I am interest in dance as a way to touch individuals and cause their hearts to be overwhelmed with hope and inspiration. I have a specific interest in reaching the hearts of youth and young adults.