Dance and Identity Politics in American Negro Vaudeville: The Whitman Sisters Danc 136- Liz Edouard

     By defying racial and gender stereotypes of the era, the Whitman sisters became successful performers as well as social activists. Through their vaudeville acts, they made their public uncomfortable daring them to think about the social makeup of the time. Blurring the lines of black and white and male and female was a risk as the public could have rejected their challenging ideas, but instead they became renown and appreciated. Could the public accept these disputed ideas because they were in the context of the theatre and not necessarily reality? Did the public challenge their beliefs upon leaving the theatre or return to their prejudiced ideas once the curtain closed? I would be interested to read about the reactions of the whites at this time after seeing this performance and their desire to see it to begin with. I am impressed by the success of this group of sisters as they maintained the quality of their performances. The concept of ‘black face’, I have learned in the context of the history of Cuban theatre. Feeding off of Black stereotypes for white entertainment, a white performer covers his or her face in black makeup and pretends to be a ‘nice, but stupid’ black man. In the context of the Whitman sisters, ‘black face’ takes on a new meaning, challenging preconceived notions: while they ‘perpetuated black stereotypes’, it was all done with a twist as those performing were Black and used the opportunity to criticize social norms. Sticking to their values and their upbringing, but following their passion the Whitman sisters were successful in claiming fame for their artistic talent and the richness of their culture, but more importantly for bringing attention to the need to defy social stereotypes of the time.