dancing in the streets to collect money. Baker’s career kicked off after she became a Vaudeville dancer — a popular theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the 20th century.
Eventually, she relocated to New York City, becoming a part of one of the most booming eras for the Black community – the Harlem Renaissance.
Shuffle Along, a “musical novelty” that premiered in 1921, celebrated the nuances and talents of the Black community through comedy, singing, and dancing.
It is often called the first successful all-Black musical and deemed the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance by the late Langston Hughes.
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