Clorindy, The Origin of the Cake Walk Hogan, Ernest performer Dunbar, Paul Laurence performer Cook, Will Marion performer Theatrical Performance 1898-07-05 The Casino On July 5, 1898, the evening ended with an extended after piece called Clorindy or The Origin of the Cake Walk. The playlet had a libretto and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar and music by Will Marion Cook. Its cast of forty (later reduced to thirty) was led by Ernest Hogan. All were blacks. The premiere marked the first time an all-black effort played at a major house--albeit a roof garden--patronized exclusively by whites. Relatively short though it was, it followed the practice of longer shows by making revisions intermittently from July 25th on. Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Bordman, Gerald: American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. New York: Oxford University Press (1992). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.322