Roger Pryor Dodge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 21, 1898 |
| Died | June 2, 1974 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | dancer, choreographer, writer |
| Known for | jazz criticism, Nijinsky photographic collection |
| Spouses | Anne Bacon
(m. 1927; div. 1941)Joze Duval
(m. 1944; ann. 1945)Lyena Barjansky (m. 1945) |
| Children | Pryor |
Roger Pryor Dodge (21 January 1898 — 2 June 1974) was an American ballet, vaudeville, and jazz dancer, as well as a choreographer and pioneering jazz critic. He formed the first extensive collection of photographic portraits of Vaslav Nijinsky.
Self-taught, his original thinking contributed to the understanding of the relationship of jazz to classical music and to dance. He endeavored to break down barriers between jazz and other 'serious' art forms and build the respect it deserved.[1]
Dodge’s taste in jazz was formed in 1924, initially from listening to recordings of Fletcher Henderson and others, then refined when Miguel Covarrubias, newly arrived from Mexico and already ensconced in the Harlem Renaissance, introduced Dodge to recordings of Bessie Smith.[2]
Jazz inspired Dodge to crystalize a unique style of white American dance, whereupon he choreographed dances to Duke Ellington's recordings with James "Bubber" Miley among others. For years, he performed these pieces in multiple locations in New York, brought a dance trio to perform in Paris, and filmed several of these numbers years later, c1937. His performance career ended in 1942 due to a back injury.
