In 1848, a young black American called Juba arrived in London from New York and danced, to great acclaim and notice. This dancer’s style of performance created a sensation, and he toured extensively through 1851, after which he disappeared from the documentary record. During this brief period, he was noticed by the press more often than any other dancer in England, and received wide praise for his innovative style and–apparently–unnerving skill. <br>
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Who he was is uncertain. According to early histories and popular tradition, his name was William Henry Lane, and he may have been the performer named Juba who toured in the north-eastern United States and appeared in variety houses in New York City in the 1840s. The documents are few and far between; what we know is only that the dancer who toured Britain had a profound influence on dance. <br>
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It has been argued that his dance was an authentic depiction of southern plantation performance, and therefore African in origin. It has also been argued that Juba ‘invented’ tap dance. Both statements are impossible to prove, but certainly he was doing something that was difficult to describe; and he had a clear and long-lasting effect on dance.<br>
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<b>Birth name:</b> William Henry Lane?
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<b>Troupes:</b>
<UL>
<LI>Ethiopian Serenaders 1848-49
<LI>Ethiopian Serenaders 1849
<LI>American Serenaders 1850
<LI>Juba - Solo (1850-51)
</UL>
<br>
<b>Moniker(s):</b>
<UL>
<LI>Boz's Juba
<LI>Master Juba
<LI>"the Prince of Negro Dancers"
<LI> “the Greatest dancer ever before the public”
<LI> “the ‘World’s Wonder’”
<LI> “that extraordinary youth of colour”
<LI> “the most wonderful dancer in the world”
<LI> “the hero of Charles Dickens, Esq.’s ‘American Notes’”
<LI> “a genuine Son of the Southern Clime”
<LI> “The inimitable Juba”
<LI> “the best Dancer living!”
<LI> “the greatest wonder in the world!”
<LI> “the only youth of colour ever before the Public”
<LI> “Boz’s veritable Juba”
<LI> “a perfect phenomenon”
<LI> “the wonder of wonders”
<LI> “this bronze genius”
<LI> “ ‘Master Juba,’ the immortalized of Boz”
<LI> “a copper-coloured votary of Terpsichore”
<LI> “the ebony-tinted gentleman”
<LI> “the sable hero of comic dancing”
<LI> “the Monsieur Perrot of negro life in the southern states”
<LI> “Juba, the American Dancer”

</UL>
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<b>Common Acts:</b>
<UL>
<LI>"Miss Lucy Long"
<LI>Festival Dance
<LI>Plantation Dance
<LI>"Buffalo Gals"
<LI>"Stop 'dat Knocking"
<LI>"Jenny put de Kettle on"
<LI>"Carry Me Back to Old Virginia"
<LI>"Way Down South"
<LI>"Come Back Stephen"
<LI>Corn Husking Dance
</UL>