Josephine Baker’s Banana Dance
by admin on Sep.04, 2010, under Dance Videos
Footage of Josephine Baker performing her infamous Banana Dance at the Folies Bergère in Paris, France c. 1927
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September 4th, 2010 on 1:03 am
i love how now everyones trying to say that dorothy dandridge and joesphine baker arent black..just think..if they were still alive ..i bet they would get a kick outta that! Hell, i bet the blk ppl as old as 60 …would get a kick outta that! Matter of fact if im correct..she even moved out of america to europe to try to get away from the racism she encountered in her career&life…everything on youtube always has to turn into race…hey, imjustsayin…
September 4th, 2010 on 1:29 am
@Rockstafeller …back then, being black in Paris was exotic, being black, just black. The entrepreneurs that hired the BLACK musicians and dancers wanted to bring something exotic to Paris, that’s why they created the NEGRO Revue, not the Mixed Race Revue.You live there now, not in the 1920s.
September 4th, 2010 on 2:17 am
@Rockstafeller okay will check this, this convo is between me && madscientistify and i dont know who you calling dumb but hun im far far waaaaaaay far from it….&& everything you say will simply do nothing but go in the left ear && come out the right…
September 4th, 2010 on 3:03 am
@madscientistify okay well i would prefer that you didnt call all americans ignorant because thats not the case for us all….i just dont see any reason to call anyone ignorant at this moment all the negativity does nothing but make matters worse…yes you have the freedom to speak your mind but it was the past && all we can do is move forward…ya know?
September 4th, 2010 on 4:03 am
@DawnDaDiva1 they then put them up in circus like shows to show their public how tehy had brought civilization to the savage peoples of africa.ths dance i believe demeans the african woman nd africans in a covert way.am very proud of certain women in the african american community, eg rosa parks, harriett tubman, and countless of others.but not ths one.whichever way we try to sugarcoat it, teh fact still remains, that she was a 1st class call girl,used her body to get her way.
September 4th, 2010 on 4:11 am
@Daw ok let me jst gve u abit of a hint why the french used to put up such shows.the french during the late 19th century went across west africa on a murderous colonial rampage after they were defeated by germay during teh franco-prussian war of 1887.the french,inorder to prove tht they were still a super kingdom went to africa and picked some of its native people to prove to the french public that they were stilla dominant force.
September 4th, 2010 on 5:10 am
@DawnDaDiva1 i dint say am mad, i only said that ur ignorant.and u know that is true.i dont hate americans, why wud i hate them??i dont know how ths issue has suddenly devolved to hating americans, all i was saying is that the people commenting here are ignorant of why the french used to put up such shows.hey listen am african, and the fact tht ths dance makes me sick shows how i feel when i see an african american lady ill mistreated under the guise of stardom.
September 4th, 2010 on 5:17 am
@madscientistify && why are you calling americans ignorant you cant punish us because the U.S. is mess…i mean personally i dont see why some foreigners come here if they dont like us…&& yea no place is perfect but other cultures cant be mad at every american if your gonna be mad with someone let it be our government not us as citizens. we dont hate yall, at least i dont
September 4th, 2010 on 6:07 am
@madscientistify no this is not who I personally look at as a role model. && im not sayin it good or bad dancing…all im saying is things were different back then && this is all some new because of the situation blacks were put in. && as far as a role model goes..young women with good heads on their shoulders as you and i pick our role models wisely…example our mothers are wonderful role models without them we wouldnt be who we are today..
September 4th, 2010 on 6:41 am
@DawnDaDiva1 wow if this is what you african american women are sigfhting as role models then you are doomed.everythng is silly, the dancing, the connotations, and ad really sugest u go read on why the french used to put up shows.i believe deep down if we serach well we r goin to find better and decent role models for our sisters.but ths is just not it
September 4th, 2010 on 7:03 am
@madscientistify you dont have to be proud of it cause she is not African….&& you should be proud if you are in america now because she paved a way for African-American….yea the dancing may look silly to YOU but she loved to dance && thats what she did….&& made a living doing it…
September 4th, 2010 on 7:06 am
@TheTattles80 It’s called having rhythm sweetie. Moving like that isn’t difficult at all. Most black people with a few exceptions are born with rhythm so moving like this comes naturally to most.
September 4th, 2010 on 7:50 am
@madscientistify you are ashamed of what?? Do you have a stick so far up your ass you can’t appreciate art. Dance is a form of art and this woman was a wonderful singer, dancer/performer. She made strides for black women and showed people that we are beautiful and talented too and can be more than just their maid or “mammy”. If you can’t appreciate this as a form of art and expression you are uptight and have no culture. Get out of your bubble and explore the world darling.
September 4th, 2010 on 8:22 am
@22pineapple205 Beyonce did a tribute to her
September 4th, 2010 on 8:53 am
hey i’m african and wondering, how the hell am i supposed to be proud of this??is it that african americans lack role models, esp women or what??i cant look at ths lady wth any form of pride.french history should teach u ignorant african ameicans why they used to put such displays.ths is just tooo shameful.this is not something or someone to be proud of
September 4th, 2010 on 9:27 am
@DIAMONDstatusBABII Yes, just as 45% percent of many African Americans are. Not uncommon at all. She identified with being Black and was treated as such.
September 4th, 2010 on 9:31 am
@22pineapple205
Beyonce’s Deja Vu was a TRIBUTE to Josephine Baker (btw who is Beyonce’s IDOL). So obviously when you are paying tribute to someone like Ms. Baker, you wear a banana skirt and reenact some of her moves (it would be insulting to Ms. Baker if someone paid tribute to her without any of her moves). Hence Beyonce’s live performance @ Fashion Rocks. GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT OR GET A LIFE.
September 4th, 2010 on 10:02 am
what is the name of music being played?! sounds good.
September 4th, 2010 on 10:13 am
How is it humanly possible for one to move like that?
September 4th, 2010 on 11:04 am
@noirpoetix1
never did i say because she had fair skin and a nice qrade of hair she was part indian , that means nothinq . iSaid that because iWatched her bioqraphy , which in the openinq said she was black and native indian . in the book , it does say that they T H I N K her father was white , but until we bocome her father we will never know 4 sure (not that it should really matter] .
September 4th, 2010 on 12:02 pm
@jazwaz112 I guess people on here don’t actually read or choose to skip over whichever comments they don’t like and respond to the ones they feel they can argue. You totally made the point I’ve been trying to make this whole time but I thought it would be easier by letting you guys know about her songs biography on her versus making up bullshit about her based on who WE want her to be. We know the serfice, but the book goes deeper.
September 4th, 2010 on 12:47 pm
@noirpoetix1 Since when does what a brown person is (or may be) mixed with make a difference, especially during her lifetime? She was “black”, because she suffered much of the black EXPERIENCE.
September 4th, 2010 on 1:11 pm
PEOPLE. it’s simple. READ THE DAMN BIOGRAPHY THAT JEAN-CLAUDE BAKER WROTE. It’s called “The Hungry Heart”. It will tell you EVERYTHING and clear up all this nonsense about what race she was and what she was mixed with. Go on AMAZON.COM and buy the DAMN BOOK! It will tell how much Josephine actually hated being black, how she HERSELF didn’t know what race her father was (she went as far as to say her dad was a Spanish dancer). Her mother slept around with alot of men as well. FIGURE IT OUT.
September 4th, 2010 on 1:52 pm
@DIAMONDstatusBABII WRONG AGAIN. Try reading her actual biography that her SON wrote which will explain the person she really was. Please don’t resort to this pseudo “she’s part indian” african american way of living. Not every black person who has lighter skin and “good hair” falls under the stupid category of “part indian”.
September 4th, 2010 on 1:58 pm
@noirpoetix1
she ws black && native american .