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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1985)
Portland Observer, January 16, 1985, Page 9 'fThat's Dancing!" captures that old Black magic W hen M G M Z U A opens " T h a t ’ i Dsheing!" on January 18th in thca- ters throughout the United States and Canada, the greatest dance numbers ever captured by the m otion picture camera come together in one dazzling presentation. A m on g the ISO o u t standing H o lly w o o d musicals, the spotlight w ill shine p rom inently on the magical artistry o f Black dancing legends from yesterday and today. The m ovie covers v irtu ally every form o f dance — tap, jazz, modern, b a llro o m , soft-shoe. C h arle sto n , Latin, disco and poppin’ and rockin'. In “ That’s dancing!” there are scenes from new film s like the trendsetting "F la s h d a n c e ,” M ich ae l Jackson's electrifying short, "Beat I t ," and the street-jam sequence from the movie "Fam e.” From the past there is a innovative footwork o f Black dancers which will »we young audiences today. Among the exciting and styling dancers are Bill “ B ojangles” R obinson, The Nicholas Brothers, Sammy Davis, Jr. snd Paula Kelly. Each o f these danc- rrs came from humble beginnings and through their incredible talents rose to great heights in the world o f enter tainment. Bill Robinson was know n as the 'K ing o f Tap Dancers” throughout bs long career on stage and in Movies. He was born in 1878 in Rich mond, Virginia and, being orphaned girly, was raised by his grandmother, ¿form er slave. By the time he was tight, he was earning his own way fencing in the street for pennies. In 1927 he starred on Broadway in 'B la c k b ird s *' and in 1932 he had op billing in “ H a rle m ’ s H e a v e n ,” he first a ll-N e g ro talkin g m ovie, iater, he scored a Hollywood success caching his fam ous stair da-ice to Ihirley T em p le in " T h e l i t t l e colonel.” Robinson made 14 movies, pcluding “ The Littlest R ebel," " In )ld Kentucky,” "Rebecca of Sunny- irook F a rm ,” “ Storm y W eath er” ind “ One M ile From Heaven." Rob- tison died in 1949. Fayard and H a ro ld Nicholas are featured in "T h a t's Dancing!” They were the most explosive tap dancers on the vaudeville stage, perform ing acrobatic leaps and splits so astound ing in their vigor that they were in credible to watch. Their speed, polish and inexhaustible energy were u n matched. It seems that the Nicholas Brothers were an im m ediate success. They worked in New York at the Lafayette and later the famous Cotton Club. It w asn't long before they were per- form ing in film . F o rtu n ate ly , some o f th eir most spectacular routines have been captured on film , among them “ Down Argentine W ay,” "Sun Valley Seren ad e,” " O rc h e s tra W iv e s ,” " S to rm y W e a th e r” and "The Pirate." In " T h a t 's D a n c in g !” Sam m y Davis, Jr. has a special appearance as the host o f one o f the segments and there is footage o f him dancing on film. Davis, often called “ the world's greatest entertainer" has remarkable versatility as a singer, dancer, actor, mimic and musician. Davis recorded a strong o f hits (" H e y th e re ," " M r . W o n d e rfu l.” "T o o Close for C o m fo rt” ) during his continued climb to the top o f show business. In November 1954 he lost an eye in an automobile accident, but (his did not in any way interfere with his career. He scored a hit in his first Broadway show " M r. W onderful” in 1956, and later repeated this success in “ Golden Boy,” kids' cords and long sleeved tops All kids' fleeced w ear 4.49 to 5 49to 5.19to 4 49 to Boys’ tops in a great assortment ot styles fabrics and colors Sizes 4 7 regular $3 99 to $11 2 59 to 6 97 Sizes 8 20 regular $6 99 to $13 4.57 to 8 57 Girls long sleeve tops in her lavorite. colors and styles Sizes 7 14 regular $8 99 to $14 99 5 97 to 9 97 Cord leans tor kids big or small All-cotton, cotton and polyester or polyester nylon and cotton blend corduroys Little kids', sizes 4 6x/7, regular $10 99 to $14 7.27 to 8 97 G ir ls '7 14 reg $ 1 3 9 9 lo $ l8 9 9 9 2 7 to 1 2 57 Boys' 8 20 reg $12 99 Io $18 99 8 47 to 12.47 12.69 16 49 10 99 10 49 Ask «iboui Sears cred>t plan ’ ianist-composer Easley at PCC SEMI-ANNUAL SALE kINTIMATE APPAREL The Associated Students o f Port- and C o m m u n ity College, Cascade .'ampus, w ill proudly present pro- essional singer-pianisl-com poser diss C h a ro le tte Easley, in concert in January 18, 1985. " T h e Oneness if M a n k in d " will also feature guest erformer Askari and others who will e named at a later date. Miss Easley has appeared in rtovies, night clubs, restaurants, otels as well as in concerts. She has erfo rm e d in New Y o rk , C h icag o , lo u sto n , M o n tre a l. P u erto R ico, 4. Thom as, the Virgin Islands and olh in clubs and on military bases in apan The concert will include a poem to er g ra n d fa th e r, a Black inventor ever given credit for his work during is lifetim e, and a three-part inven- on with words called " A ll the Chil- ren o f the W o r ld ," which accom- anies a slide montage. She will also K lu d e a song she w rote recently bout Portland. The one-time concert w ill be held rom 7:30 to 9:00 p.m . on January 8, 1985, in the Cascade H all Audi- irium. Tickets will be $2.(J0 for gen- ral adm ission, $ 1 .5 0 w ith a P C C udent body card and $1.00 with a alid A SPC C card 25% OFF All bras Natural cup contour cup underwire m ore" All slips Hall slips lull slips teddies' All shapers Control bnels panly shapers, all in-ones' All Sears sheer hosiery ,ilon Hug-ami Endurables' Cling Mce Touch *! All tights, leotards Our Goolagong collection and m ore" 25% OFF selected panties Our famous Very Impressive Panty packages in brief hip hugger and bikini styles Plus many more contemporary styles’ Portraits to celebrate w arm fam ily pride ? 8»f0 3 5« ? 15 wallet 3 charm miniatures foung women txpand horizons Expanding Your Horizons, a career inferen ce fo r young wom en in 'ades 7 to 12, will take place Satur- ly , February 9th, at Portland State niversity. The conference will pro- de an opportunity for students to eet with women representing a va- tty o f careers. The registration dead- te is January 25th. Call the Colum- a River Girl Scout Council, 224-6560 » more information. and in film . Kelly received wide acclaim for her portrayal o f Helene in the stage ver- sikon o f “ Sweet Charity” when it was booked as the first legitimate show in Las Vegas K elly later reprised her role in the film version o f "S w ee t C h arity” which starred Shirley Mac Laine. " T h a t's Dancing!” pays trib ute to "S w e e t C h a r it y ” w ith a se quence fe a tu rin g K e lly , M a c L a in e and C h ita Rivera dancing in one o f the great moments in motion pictures 1/3 OFF all 15% ,o 25% OFF G irls'S.M .L (4-6x) $5 99 to $16 99 Girls'S.M .L (7-14) $6 99 to $21 99 Boys' S.M.L (4-7) $6 99 to $14 99 Boys'S M L (8-20) $5 99 to $13 99 In 1959 he ployed S portin' L ife in the m ovie version o f “ Porgy and Bess." O ther 'D avis movies include "O cean s 1 1 " and " R o b in and the Seven Hoods ” In 1966 his autobiog raphy Yes. I C an was a best seller, and he starred in his ow n n etw ork television series. Paula Kelly, one of the most sought after multi-talented performers today, is showcased in " T h a t ’s D a n c in g !” As a d an cer/sing er/actress she has made her m ark on stage, television includes 9*»« depostl Offer g tx x l for portraits taken through January 19 Also Available In Addition To This Otter B la h Ha hground • W hite Ha< hgro u n d D ouble Feature P o rtra its Pa Clackam as Tow n Center 11800 SE 82nd Ave. 662 2280 Vancouver Mall 4911 NE Thurston W ay 256 8333 N o a p p o in tm e n t n e c e s s a ry <»*>< fo r h a d d ilio n . il sut>ie« i ■ p o rtra it p a c k a g e P oses our s e le c tio n A d u lts and fa m ily g ro u p s w el co m e S tu d io s lo c a te d in m o s t larger Sears re ta il s to re s Che« ► your lo c a l sto re tor d a y s and h o u rs o t o p e ra tio n Sear* Portroit Studio Use your SearsC harge* lutili» i|o.H.tnh-«-a Washington Square 9800 SW Washington Sq.. Rd 620 1510 S f AMU M C I? &EAIRIS