Revue nègre
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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La Revue nègre was a cabaret show featuring Josephine Baker which premiered on October 2, 1925 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris. The show is credited with bringing jazz (Charleston) from the United States to Europe.
Josephine Baker became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. She performed the Danse sauvage, wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas.
Josephine Baker's success coincided with the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs (1925) , which for one gave the name "Art Deco" and were also a renewal of interest in ethnic forms of art, including African. Therefore Josephine Baker also represented one aspect of this fashion.
In later shows in Paris she was often accompanied on stage by her pet leopard Chiquita, who was adorned with a diamond collar. The leopard frequently escaped into the orchestra pit, where it terrorized the musicians, adding another element of excitement to the show.
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