Behind the Screen: Tap Dance Race and Invisibility During Hollywood’s Golden Age

Behind the Screen: Tap Dance Race and Invisibility During Hollywood’s Golden Age (Oxford University Press, 2023), Author Talk and Book Signing

How and why was outdated racial content not only permitted, but in fact allowed to thrive during the 1930s and 1940s despite the rigid motion picture censorship laws which were enforced during this time? One reason is that Black dances were often viewed as dangerous and tied to Satan. In this talk author Brynn Shiovitz will unpack the religious narrative that Hollywood told around Black dancing while also highlighting some of the many tap dance artists who were subjected to these tropes. The talk will feature rare tap dance footage and contextualize the work of some of Hollywood’s most talented Black artists who shaped the Hollywood aesthetic yet were never acknowledged in a film’s credits. Q&A to follow. Books will be available for sale at the event.

More information about the book can be found here: Behind the Screen

More information about the author can be found here: Brynn Shiovitz