Performing arts

by Pertalion, Patricia L. The African American Dance Ensemble, founded in Durham in 1984 by Raleigh native Chuck Davis, seeks to preserve and promote traditional African and American dance and music while entertaining and [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wilson, Madafo Lloyd. African and African American Storytelling By Madafo Lloyd Wilson Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, Spring 2002. Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Pertalion, Patricia L. The American Dance Festival (ADF) is a six-week summer gathering of dance students, choreographers, and dance professionals of emerging and legendary status who work together in an exchange of dance [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Linn, Jo White. Blackmer, Sidney Alderman by Jo White Linn, 1979 13 July 1895–5 Oct. 1973 Sidney Alderman Blackmer, professional actor, was born in Salisbury, the son of Walter Steele and Clara De Roulhac [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Baker, Bruce E. Buck dancing is a folk dance that originated among African Americans during the era of slavery. It was largely associated with the North Carolina Piedmont and, later, with the blues. The original [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Flowers, John B., III. Byrd, Samuel ("Sam") Armanie, Jr. by John Baxton Flowers III, 1979 18 Jan. 1908–14 Nov. 1955 Samuel ("Sam") Armanie Byrd, Jr., actor, producer, and playwright, was born in Mount Olive, Wayne [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Rives, Ralph Hardee. Lucile Marie Hoerr Charles, lecturer, scholar, and first director of dramatic arts at East Carolina University in Greenville, was a native of Chicago, the daughter of Charles Ferdinand Hoerr and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Baker, Bruce E. Clogging is a form of traditional solo step dancing to traditional string music common in western North Carolina and growing in popularity across the state and nation. The term has been used to [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tetterton, Beverly, Steelman, Bennett L. The Thalian Association is the name of a succession of amateur theatrical companies active in Wilmington for more than 200 years. Wilmington gentlemen organized the first "theatrical corps" sometime [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Williams, Wiley J. Natural and Cultural Resources, Department of [Previously named: Cultural Resources, Department of] The Department name was changed to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Ross, Sue Fields. John Augustin Daly, playwright and for three decades one of America's foremost theatrical producers and managers, was born in Plymouth, N.C. His father, Captain Denis Daly, in the shipping and lumber [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Pertalion, Patricia L., Moore, Cecelia, Koos, Emily, Conley, Robin. Dance by Emily Koos and Patricia L. Pertalion, 2006 Additional research provided by Robin Conley and Cecelia Moore. See also: African American Dance Ensemble; American Dance Festival; [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Selden, Samuel. Harry Ellerbe Davis, professor of dramatic art, distinguished himself as constructional engineer, as craftsman and lighting expert, as actor and playwright, and, especially, as stage director. What [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by London, Lawrence F. George Vernon Denny, Jr., educator and radio commentator, was born in Washington, N.C., the son of George Vernon and Carrie Ricks Cobb Denny. After attending the public schools of Washington and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wegner, Ansley Herring, Moore, Cecelia, Mitchell, Ted. Dramatic Arts by Ansley Herring Wegner and Ted Mitchell Additional research provided by Cecelia Moore. See also: Opera Houses; Outdoor Dramas; Strolling Players; Thalian [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wegner, Ansley Herring, Moore, Cecelia, Mitchell, Ted. Dramatic Arts by Ansley Herring Wegner and Ted Mitchell Additional research provided by Cecelia Moore. See also: Opera Houses; Outdoor Dramas; Strolling Players; Thalian [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wegner, Ansley Herring, Moore, Cecelia, Mitchell, Ted. Dramatic Arts by Ansley Herring Wegner and Ted Mitchell Additional research provided by Cecelia Moore. See also: Opera Houses; Outdoor Dramas; Strolling Players; Thalian [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wegner, Ansley Herring, Moore, Cecelia, Mitchell, Ted. Dramatic Arts by Ansley Herring Wegner and Ted Mitchell; Revised December 2021 Additional research provided by Cecelia Moore. See also: Opera Houses; Outdoor Dramas; Strolling Players; Thalian [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Extraído de Libro de hechos de El Viejo Estado del Norte. La propiedad literaria 2011 por la Oficina de Archivos e Historia de Carolina del Norte, Departamento de Recursos Culturale de [...] (from NC Office of Archives and History.)

by . Extraído de Libro de hechos de El Viejo Estado del Norte. La propiedad literaria 2011 por la Oficina de Archivos e Historia de Carolina del Norte, Departamento de Recursos Culturale de [...] (from NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Case, Steven, Kemp, Amy. State Folk Dance of North Carolina: Clogging by Steven Case and Amy Kemp, 2017. NC Government & Heritage Library. See also: North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions main [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Pennington, Nancy. Folk Plays Get Off Your Seat and Up on That Stage by Nancy Pennington, edited by Government & Heritage Library Staff. Reprinted with permission from The Tar heel Junior Historian, [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Pertalion, Patricia L. Folkmoot USA, headquartered in Waynesville, is a folk music and dance festival celebrating a diversity of cultures from around the world. Started in 1983, Folkmoot-also known as the North Carolina [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . In the early 1970s, a one-of-a-kind artist lived near Elm City—the blues guitarist, singer, and musical storyteller John Henry Fortescue. Known as Guitar Shorty, Fortescue—who was originally from [...] (from North Carolina Arts Council.)

by Cannon, Doris Rollins. A child destined to become an international movie sensation, with a personal life that rivaled fiction, Ava Gardner, was born on December 24, 1922 in the small farm community of Grabtown, eight miles [...] (from NCpedia.)

by Walser, Richard. Thomas Godfrey, Jr., mercantile agent, poet, and dramatist, was born in Philadelphia. His father was the inventor of the quadrant and one of the original members of the American Philosophical Society [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Williams, Wiley J., Foote, Margaret, Kobrin, Lisa Brantley. Gospel music, in both its African American and white traditions, is a very popular and influential musical form in North Carolina. The term "gospel" usually refers to a style of religious music [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cherry, Kevin. The Governor's School of North Carolina is the nation's oldest statewide residential summer program for academically gifted high school students. Founded in 1963 at the urging of Governor Terry [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Edinger, Lois V. Isaac ("Ike") Garfield Greer, educator and superintendent of Baptist Children's Homes, was born in the Zionville community a few miles from Boone in Watauga County, the fifth of eight children of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Angley, Wilson. Edmund Hoyt Harding, salesman, humorist, and promoter of historic restoration, was born in Washington, N.C., the ninth of eleven children of the Reverend Nathaniel Harding and the first produced by [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Russell, Mattie U. Hubert Harrison Hayes, actor, author, producer, promoter, and folklorist, was born in Asheville, the son of Ernest L. Hayes, a master mechanic, and Elizabeth Ingle Hayes. In 1922–23 he attended [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. John "Major" Mertz and Mariah Elizabeth Nail Mertz: Circus Performers by Kelly Agan, NC Government & Heritage Library, 2014 1850s-1938 On August 16, 1883 circus performers John [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Smith, Chris T. Jovian was a Coquerel’s sifaka (a species of lemur) chosen to star in the title role of the popular PBS children's television series Zoboomafoo, which began airing in 1999. Jovian was born April 10, [...] (from NCpedia.)

by Smith, Donald B. Long Lance, Buffalo Child [Clark Long, Sylvester]  by Donald B. Smith, 1991; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 1 Dec. 1890–20 Mar. 1932 Buffalo [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Extraído de Libro de hechos de El Viejo Estado del Norte. La propiedad literaria 2011 por la Oficina de Archivos e Historia de Carolina del Norte, Departamento de Recursos Culturale de [...] (from NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Dumoulin, Christine. History is full of mysteries. But perhaps none have held more interest or spawned more theories than John White’s disappearing 1587 colonists. Thousands of books, documents, letters, essays, and [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Horton, Laurel Mckay. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar by Laurel Mckay Horton, 1991 21 Mar. 1882–4 Sept. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gillespie, James D. Mabley, Jackie (Moms) by James D. Gillespie 1898–23 May 1975 (1898–23 May 1975), comedienne and actress, was born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, the daughter of "Uncle" Jim and Mary Aiken. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Menius, Arthur C., III. Medicine Shows by Arthur Menius, 2006 See also: Crazy Water Crystals; Patent Medicines; Country Music Medicine shows, from roughly the end of the Civil War through the 1940s, provided a [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Foote, Margaret, Kress, Kelly. The Menhaden Chanteymen are a group of retired African American fishermen who previously worked off the coast near Beaufort. The group, during their working years, used singing to synchronize the [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hayworth, Marianne B. Governor Terry Sanford created the North Carolina Arts Council in 1964 to survey the status and needs of the arts and to advance the interests of the arts in the state. The Arts Council became a [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Whittenburg, Catherine A. The North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem was established in 1963 by the North Carolina General Assembly as the nation's first state-supported residential school of the arts. A [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sherwood, Mary Bates. The North Carolina Symphony had its origins in Chapel Hill as a work relief project as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal agencies in 1932. The first conductor was Lamar Stringfield, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wilson, Paul F. From the mid-1870s until World War I, any building used for presenting entertainment on stage was popularly called an "opera house." The term was something of a euphemism: despite the popularity of [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holland, Ron, Zuber, Richard L., Faulkner, Ronnie W., Moore, Cecelia. Outdoor dramas, sometimes called symphonic dramas, are a type of theatrical production that takes its story from local history and augments it with music, dance, and spectacle. The style evolved from [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hill, Michael. Alice Morgan Person, businesswoman and medicine show performer, was born in Petersburg, Va., the daughter of Samuel and Esther Morgan. In December 1857 she married Joseph Arrington Person and moved [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Spearman, Walter. Lillian Hughes Prince, actress, was born in Birmingham, Ala., the daughter of George Washington and Mary Lillian McTyeire Hughes, and attended the local schools. On 24 Nov. 1915 she married William [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wells, Mike "Lightnin'". Recording Industry - Part 1: Introduction; Recording Industry - Part 2: North Carolina Recording Pioneers; Recording Industry - Part 3: Independent Labels Find Success; Recording Industry - Part 4: [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wells, Mike "Lightnin'". Recording Industry - Part 1: Introduction; Recording Industry - Part 2: North Carolina Recording Pioneers; Recording Industry - Part 3: Independent Labels Find Success; Recording Industry - Part 4: [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Recording Industry - Part 1: Introduction; Recording Industry - Part 2: North Carolina Recording Pioneers; Recording Industry - Part 3: Independent Labels Find Success; Recording Industry - Part 4: [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Recording Industry - Part 1: Introduction; Recording Industry - Part 2: North Carolina Recording Pioneers; Recording Industry - Part 3: Independent Labels Find Success; Recording Industry - Part 4: [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. Sam Brinkley and His Beard by Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library, 2014 21 Sept. 1850-13 Dec. 1929 See also: Beards Standing six feet two with a beard of five feet four inches, [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Wilson, Paul F. Schloss, Simeon Archibald by Paul F. Wilson, 1994   See also: Opera Houses. 10 Oct. 1865–22 Dec. 1913 Simeon Archibald Schloss, predominant figure in theatrical management in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. George Randolph Scott, motion picture actor, was born in Orange, Va., the only one of his seven brothers and sisters not born in Charlotte, N.C., the family's home. He was the son of North [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. Connie Marie Badgett Steadman grew up in Locust Hill Township in Caswell County, North Carolina. Her father, Cortelyou Badgett, was a gospel singer and choir director, and she grew up singing gospel [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Powell, William S. Strudwick, Shepperd by William S. Powell, 1994 22 Sept. 1907–15 Jan. 1983 See also: Strudwick, Clement Read Shepperd Strudwick, actor, was born in Hillsborough, the son of Shepperd and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Benjamin Franklin Swalin led the North Carolina Symphony for 33 years, from 1939 to 1972, revitalizing and expanding the project that Lamar Stringfield had started under the WPA. In 1945, Swalin's [...] (from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries.)

by . Maxine Swalin, with her husband Dr. Benjamin F. Swalin, revived a floundering North Carolina Symphony in the late 1930s and built it into an organization that became nationally known for its [...] (from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries.)

by Kemp, Amy. State Theatre of North Carolina: Flat Rock Playhouse by Amy Kemp, 2017 Government and Herigate Library See also: North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions main [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Agan, Kelly, Miles, Jeff. Tomlinson, Mel A. by Jeff Miles, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, 2015; Revised by SLNC Government & Heritage Library, September 2023.  Originally [...] (from North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.)

by Cecelski, David S. Mel A. Tomlinson was one of America's most brilliant dancers in the 1970s and '80s. Raised in Raleigh's Chavis Heights public housing project, he became a star in Agnes de Mille's Heritage Theater, [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Melvin, Katharine S. Vollmer, Lula by Katharine S. Melvin, 1996 1898–2 May 1955 Lula Vollmer, playwright, christened Louisa Smith, was born at Keyser (afterwards [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kobrin, Lisa Brantley. Womanless weddings, often staged by men's civic and fraternal groups, were popular entertainment in North Carolina and other southern states prior to the advent of television. They consisted of a [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Earl Raymond Wynn, educator and actor, was born in Coal Valley, Ill., the son of Zadoc Hardin and Mary Jane Ziegler Wynn. He was graduated from Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., in 1932 and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)