{"product_id":"feel-the-floor-isbn-9780807045244","title":"Feel the Floor","description":"\u003cb\u003eA stunning resurrection of one of dance history's most dynamic innovators, whose work was key to the Jazz Age transformation of how we move to music—in nightclubs, on stage, and in film\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor anyone passionate about jazz dance, Broadway's golden age, the Harlem Renaissance, cosmopolitan London, American vernacular dance, and African American history\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBuddy Bradley’s story mirrors today's fight for recognition of Black contributions to transatlantic culture. His work in rhythm tap and jazz dance, and cross-pollination with classical ballet choreographers like Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine, didn't just influence dance—it \u003ci\u003ecreated\u003c\/i\u003e the movement language we still speak today. Bradley was also the first to fuse movement, character, and narrative in the theater, setting the stage for the integrated book musical and the careers of Agnes de Mille, Bob Fosse, and Jerome Robbins. Yet, Bradley often didn’t receive the credit he deserved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eFeel the Floor,\u003c\/i\u003e Maureen Footer shows how Bradley's revolutionary moves electrified Broadway in the 1920s, conquered London's West End in the 1930s, introduced unsuspected nuance to tap dance, and even permeated classical dance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe white performers Bradley taught to move became legends: Eleanor Powell, Ruby Keeler, Adele Astaire, Clifton Webb. As his influence and opportunities in London grew, Bradley’s experiments in rhythm and staging would anticipate bebop and propel the book musical forward.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFooter spent five years in prodigious research, crossed three continents, and enlisted private investigators to uncover Bradley's buried legacy. She tracked ancestral history in the Deep South, discovered lost films, and corrected false narratives. \u003ci\u003eFeel the Floor\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how one man's genius rewired the DNA of American dance, shaped modern ballet, and transformed musical theater.\u003ci\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 1: SOUTHERN RHYTHMS, 1838–1920\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 1\u003cbr\u003eAncestral Whispers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 2\u003cbr\u003eFathers and Sons in the Black Belt of Alabama\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 3\u003cbr\u003ePost-Reconstruction: Explorations Beyond Home\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 4\u003cbr\u003eAn Observant Child in Birmingham\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 5\u003cbr\u003eCrossing the Mason-Dixon Line to Harrisburg\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 2: NEW YORK JAZZ, 1921–1930\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 6\u003cbr\u003eHarlem Chorus Boy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 7\u003cbr\u003eCelebrity Dance Instructor on Broadway\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 8\u003cbr\u003eA Black Choreographer on the Great White Way\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 3: LONDON CALLING, 1931–1932\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 9\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEver Green\u003c\/i\u003e and Affirmation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 10\u003cbr\u003eAppraising London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 11\u003cbr\u003eExpatriation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 4: THE EXPANSIVE YEARS, 1932–1938\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 12\u003cbr\u003eOn Pointe with Frederick Ashton and Noël Coward\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 13\u003cbr\u003eBallyhoo to the Folies Bergère\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 14\u003cbr\u003eSeduction and the Camera’s Eye\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 15\u003cbr\u003eThe Gauguin of the Dance\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 16\u003cbr\u003eDancing on the Ceiling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 17\u003cbr\u003eTop Hat and Tails\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 18\u003cbr\u003eFollow the Sun to Happy Returns\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 5: SHIFTS IN RHYTHM, 1939–1960\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 19\u003cbr\u003eDancing in the Blitz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 20\u003cbr\u003eAll That Jazz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 21\u003cbr\u003eJazz Maestro\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 22\u003cbr\u003eTroupes, Tours, and Baby Laurence\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 6: RESOLUTION, 1961–1972\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 23\u003cbr\u003eThe Swerving Sixties\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 24\u003cbr\u003eBack to the Future\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEPILOGUE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eChronology\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eImage Credits\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e“Finally! A meticulously researched biography of Buddy Bradley, the visionary choreographer who revolutionized jazz and tap dance, electrified Broadway, and transformed London’s West End. With passionate narrative drive, Maureen Footer restores Bradley’s rightful place in dance history, tracing influences from across geographies, performance genres, and shifting social circumstances. A celebration of artistry, resilience, and cultural legacy, this book is essential reading for anyone passionate about dance, history, and the fight for recognition.”\u003cbr\u003e—Thomas F. DeFrantz, author of \u003ci\u003eDancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s Embodiment of African American Culture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With exemplary research and insights into the life and work of Buddy Bradley, one of the legends of the dance world, Maureen Footer places into the spotlight an innovative yet often overlooked choreographer. \u003ci\u003eFeel the Floor\u003c\/i\u003e is an engaging, informative, and accessible biography that will appeal not only to anyone interested in the history of dance but also musical theatre and cinema.”\u003cbr\u003e—Stephen Bourne, author of \u003ci\u003eBlack in the British Frame: Black People in British Film and Television 1896-1996\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Descended from free, landowning Southern Blacks, Buddy Bradley claimed his territory as an innovative jazz tap dancer and choreographer. He began in Harlem Renaissance New York, then, when segregation dwarfed his ambitions, he moved to London. There, artists and audiences were eager to see a multilingual choreography, which joined jazz tap to ballet and musical theater. His work was brilliant and wide ranging. So is Maureen Footer’s biography. With historical rigor and narrative elegance, she restores the life and art of an American dance genius.”\u003cbr\u003e—Margo Jefferson, author of \u003ci\u003eNegroland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eFeel the Floor\u003c\/i\u003e tells the rich, layered story of choreographer Buddy Bradley and his journey from Alabama to Harlem and on to London’s West End. Maureen Footer weaves a compelling tale, showing how Buddy Bradley’s influence on dance on both stage and screen spread across the Atlantic and brought the dance culture of the Black American South to the world.”\u003cbr\u003e—W. Ralph Eubanks, author of \u003ci\u003eWhen It’s Darkness on the Delta\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaureen Footer\u003c\/b\u003e is author of \u003ci\u003eGeorge Stacey and the Creation of American Chic \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eDior and His Decorators: Victor Grandpierre, Georges Geffroy, and the New Look. \u003c\/i\u003eHer books have been reviewed in \u003ci\u003eThe Financial Times, Forbes, \u003c\/i\u003ethe \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVogue, Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. Ms. Footer sits on the boards of the New York City Ballet and the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library, the preeminent dance research institution in the world. She can be found today studying tap in dance studios and dancing to African drums in the East Village.","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233166766309,"sku":"NP9780807045244","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807045244.jpg?v=1767726803","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/feel-the-floor-isbn-9780807045244","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}