Ismay Andrews
Ismay Andrews was one of the earliest major teachers of African dance in the United States. Her career started in 1929 as a stage actress, and she taught dance in community centers in New York City from 1934 to 1959. Stage actor Andrews began her career in as an actor in stage plays in New York City. These included a musical comedy, Great Day, at the Cosmopolitan Theatre in 1929, Ol' Man Satan in 1932, and the operetta Africana in 1934. She also appeared in a 1932 film, The Black King. Dance In the early 1930s, Andrews studied dance under Asadata Dafora. People in the United States in this era largely regarded Africans as savage and animalistic, and Dafora was part of bringing an awareness of their humanity and an appreciation for their culture. The new interest in African music and dance offered a new positive black identity rooted in ancient, pre-colonial traditions. This movement in art and culture was connected to the Harlem Renaissance and the Négritude movement. Andrews taught in New York community centers from 1934 to 1959. She began teaching African dance at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem in 1934. This makes her one of the