Master Juba

Master Juba (born 1825?, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.—died 1852, London, England) was known as the “father of tap dance” and the first African American to get top billing over a white performer in a minstrel show. He invented new techniques of creating rhythm by combining elements of African American vernacular dance, Irish jigs, and clogging.

William Henry Lane was first taught to dance by “Uncle” Jim Lowe, a prominent African American jig and reel dancer. In about 1840, when African Americans were rarely permitted to appear onstage alongside white performers, Lane was hired by P.T. Barnum to put on dance performances at Barnum’s American Museum. By the 1840s Lane also had established himself in the dance houses of the Five Points district of New York City, an area inhabited by Irish immigrants and free African Americans. In that melting-pot environment, Lane began to experiment with the mixture of the Irish jig and African American vernacular dance. Throughout his adolescence he entered dance competitions, eventually emerging triumphant over John Diamond, who was the best white minstrel dancer of the early 19th century. As a result of his new celebrity, Lane was given the moniker “Master Juba: King of All Dancers”—after the juba style of African American step dance that incorporated variations of the jig.

After gaining recognition for his imitations of well-known minstrel dancers, Master Juba began to tour with the all-white Ethiopian Minstrels as the “Greatest Dancer in the World.” The minstrel shows of the 19th century consisted of performances by white working-class men wearing blackface and dressed as plantation slaves. Though black, Master Juba was made to perform in blackface as well. The minstrel shows were at their zenith from 1840 to 1890 and helped launch Master Juba’s career in the United States and abroad.

In 1848 Master Juba traveled with an all-white minstrel group to England, becoming the first African American dancer to perform there. As he toured England, his unique brand of dance was hailed by critics and began to permeate both European performance circles and the general public. He used different parts of his feet to create variation in both sound and resonance. He also used song and laughter as percussive accompaniments to his routines. He was such a sensation that a traveling Charles Dickens (who sometimes used the pseudonym Boz) wrote of him in American Notes (1842), and that association gave him additional celebrity and the byname “Boz’s Juba.” The renowned dancer eventually settled in London and married an English woman, becoming one of the first expatriate African American dancers. He continued to perform and became the owner of a dance studio, but he met an unexpected early death in his late 20s.

Master Juba’s innovations influenced dance and performance trends both in the United States and in Europe. Soon after his introduction to the English public, many English clowns began to incorporate blackface into their performances, leading to the rise of the “Juba character.” Juba’s incorporation and mastery of several styles of dance made him a fundamental figure in the development and evolution of American tap dance.