Greenwich Village Follies 1925-26 "Black Bottom" Theatrical Performance 1926-03-15 Sam S. Shubert Theater A revised version of the musical revue in two acts, a prologue and 25 scenes. Music by Harold Levey. Lyrics by Owen Murphy. Entire production conceived and staged by Hassard Short; revised and re-staged by A.L. Jones and Morris Green. Dances and ensembles arranged by Larry Ceballos. New Spring Edition opened 15 march 1926 at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre, and closed 29 May 1926 after 88 performances. Total including both editions: 180 performances. Act II Scene 3, "Those Knowing Nurses" introduces the Black Bottom, a black vernacular early blues jazz dance with a throbbing bass beat. Not called the black bottom because Jones and Green knew the name of the dance and objected on "aesthetic" grounds to the name, the rhythm was nevertheless accepted and the number was a hit. (Norton 1925.47) Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Norton Anthology of Drama: Norton Anthology of Drama: Nineteenth Century to the Present (Vol. 2). W.W. Norton & Company (2009). Caspary, Vera: "The Black, Black Bottom of the Swanee River". Dance, March 1927, 15-16 (1927). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.2326