Guest Post: A Thanksgiving Sampler of Eccentric Dance from Betsy Baytos

Little Tich

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It's almost Thanksgiving. Much to lament, much that needs fixing, much that can't be fixed, but as always ever so much to be thankful for. Somewhere on that list be sure to include all the talented physical comedians who have left us such a wonderful legacy. And to that list I'm adding guest blogger Betsy Baytos, who once again is favoring us with some more insights and fantastic footage on the subject of eccentric dance.  —jt
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Okay, guys....guess what I found and you know I'll want to join!  — http://www.eccentricclub.co.uk

"Welcome to the Eccentric Club (UK), formerly known in its various incarnations as The Illustrious Society of Eccentrics, The Everlasting Society of Eccentrics, The Eccentric Society Club and, finally, The Eccentric Club."  Is this fate?

A Quick Eccentric History:
Ever since the caveman first spoke and gestured, there must have been some sort of "silly walks" around the proverbial camp fire. Unfortunately we haven't found those cave drawings yet, but we do know that it is a genre of popular theatrical dance that can be traced from early Greek and Roman entertainment, revolving around ridiculous re-enactments of life. Back then it was surely safer not to speak (bald emperor jokes were strictly forbidden), but the visual comedian had inadvertently created a universal language, as classic mime slid into comic drama. I was amazed to learn how pantomime shaped the eccentric's path early on, through the Roman pantomimists' wearing of various masks, and the reliance on body language and gesture, which were and still are expressive and important in the eccentric's vocabulary. The Eccentric's tricks are ancient, from medieval graffiti as church carvings to English hieroglyphics....hmmm, that must be where those "wild and crazy" sand dancers, Wilson & Kepple come in!

Dancing in character has been around for centuries. Asia, India and Balinese movement can be seen in the eccentric's sometimes angular and "silhouette style. According to Lincoln Kirstein (ABT, NYC Ballet), "Noverre and the 18th century ballet masters called such work "grotesque dancing" and acknowledged it as an old and definite tradition. The French still have a recognizable vocabulary in La Danse Eccentrique. In contemporary terms it immediately suggests the can-can or chahut.... The Venetian baller master, Gregorio Lambranzi, issued his New and Curious School of Theatrical Dancing (1716). One hundred and two plates suggest all manner of acrobatic and eccentric dance combinations."

But what changed everything was the French Arlequin comic dances, which led to the English Pantomime, with commedia dell'arte characters, music, and dance.

With the advent of the music hall, specialty acts, schooled in the French and commedia slapstick tradition, flourished and provided the perfect training ground for the eccentric character. Grimaldi became a star and the "joey clown" was born! Even Charles "Boz" Dickens, whose first book was Memoirs of Grimaldi, would dance the 'hornpipe', an eccentric staple, for his friends. The music hall provided a refuge for the eccentric's development, as Dan Leno, Little Tich and countless others perfected their craft.

Here's a clip of the incomparable Little Tich:



The arrival of the American minstrel show in the mid-1800's was the turning point in the eccentric's evolution. Three distinct styles of eccentric emerged:

• Legmania — spun from the extreme French can-can kicks. Here's Melissa Mason, who could rotate her hips a full 360°!




• Classic Eccentric — Celtic influence with frenetic "below the waist" leg flips, performed here by Al Norman (entering at the 1:10 mark):




• Snakehips — with West African undulating hip swings & extreme body fluidity, performed here by Snakehips Tucker:



FYI: The word itself: So far the earliest I have found the actual term "eccentric dance" in print was 1842, in an old, little book, The Variety Stage, but I may well find earlier references when I return to the UK....I know you were all wondering....)

To me, the beauty of eccentric dance is how everything depends on the solo dancer. Their physical idiosyncracies, fexibility and comic mannerisms, make it unique to them. Add to that a character, a narrative, and a costume to accentuate or disguise the dancer's physicality, music to punctuate the routine, and you have the quintessential eccentric dancer. Eeccentrics work on the basis of deliberate caricature & parody, often bringing them in subtle conflict with classic dance, as seen in this wonderful Fanny Brice ballet parody, Be Yourself (first 2 1/2 minutes of clip):

Billy Dainty

Or spoofing any kind of "classic" dance, as seen here with the wonderful English eccentric Billy Dainty as Mr. Pastry. I love Mr. Pastry for being such a silly character, doing such a profoundly ridiculous Edwardian dance. It never fails to make me laugh!




Here's another favorite to enjoy: The Ritz Brothers in the number He Ain't Got Rhythm, from Wake Up & Live (1937)



One of my earliest research references was the first Dance Magazines (circa 1919-1934) loaned to me by the vaudeville historian, Kendall Capps, a child star in vaudeville who worked with the Marx Brothers and whose father had done an eccentric act. I was shocked at the numerous reference to eccentric dancers, documented routines & costuming ideas, sheet music and ads for Selva shoes, featuring the famous "eccentric dance" team of Fred and Adele Astaire! These magazines covered the New York Broadway stage & vaudeville houses, and boasted over 150 schools, including the Russian Ballet, which taught eccentric dance! This was a turning point and I knew this was more than just schtick!

And as they say, the rest is history! I will include another update of some of my favorite routines....but I need to say once more how wonderful it has been to meet you all! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cheers! "Your resident Eccentric"....Betsy

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Click here for Betsy's web site.

Click here for all of her guest posts to this blog.

Guest Post: Betsy Baytos on Eccentric Dance

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Betsy on the Steve Allen Show

I have the honor of turning my 300th post (!) over to eccentric dancer Betsy Baytos, whose documentary film project, Funny Feet: The Art of Eccentric Dance (see two posts ago) draws upon this dance background and her work as an animator with Disney Studios. A twin threat! Betsy has graciously agreed to favor us with a few guest posts on eccentric dance. For starters, she'll share some of her own work with us and explain how she came to straddle the worlds of animation and eccentric dance. (And by "straddle" I mean a full split!) 
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There is a good reason I have followed the unchartered path of the eccentric dancer! Early on, while working as a young animator at Disney Studios, I studied dance from an old vaudevillian, Jon Zerby, who quickly noted my extreme flexibility and lack of control at the ballet barre, concluding that I was destined for another path. He taught me my first "silly walk" and talked a great deal about the eccentric dancers he worked with on the bill. And I never looked back.

Gil Lamb

I was always searching for new opportunities to apply the eccentric movement I learned from anyone who would teach me, and was stunned to observe actual steps, a repertoire of movement and routines that every eccentric dancer performed. The unique nature of the eccentric dancer is — depending on their flexibility and individual idiosyncrasies — to add their own twist to an already comical and exaggerated position.

There are three distinct eccentric styles: traditional (Cagney, Al Norman, Hal Leroy) inspired with a Celtic flavor of loose footwork; snakehips (Snakehips Tucker, Josephine Baker, Cab Calloway), reflecting a West African looseness in the hips; and legmania (Will B. Able, Gil Lamb, Charlotte Greenwood, Melissa Mason), which is rooted in the French can-can and takes the high kick to a new level! But many eccentrics excelled in all three, and along with great character and a storyline to dictate the reason for their movement, created their own signature act.

Will B. Able

My first mentor in eccentric was the great 6' 6" tall legmania dancer Will B. Able, who hired me for his vaudeville/burlesque Show, Baggy Pants & Co., followed by Gil Lamb, who I pulled out of a poker game at Milt Larsen's wonderful Variety Arts Theater in Los Angeles. I'll never forget Gil, staring at me incredulously while holding a spread of cards, cigar jutting out of the corner of his mouth and bifocals teetering low on the bridge of his nose, finally agreeing to teach me. After working with them both, I knew these legends were pure gold! It was Milt who then generously provided me with my first films to study from the old Ed Wynn Show, where many eccentric dancers were featured.

The Muppet Show! A friend provided me with a chance of a lifetime, and I was soon auditioning for a bewildered Jim Henson at the Beverly Wilshire, in front of their fireplace mantel, demonstrating my full-bodied eccentric dancing ostrich idea. Twelve weeks later, I was working in London on the Muppet Show, and the Betsy Bird was born!

 

I tried everything while working the remaining two seasons, puppeteering and exploring how the costumes could be re-designed for maximum flexibility. From there came the Muppet's first live performance at the Kennedy Center, where the Betsy Bird was featured in a bird-like, whimsical pas de deux. But London proved to be the pandora's box in my quest for eccentric knowledge, and I was stunned at the vast amount of material available and the scores of eccentric dancers abiding in this unchartered territory.

I was soon spending time with the legendary Max Wall and Benny Hill, Johnny Hutch, Norman Wisdom & Lord Lew Grade, and discovered this style was rooted in an even older European tradition. And it was here that they spoke of the "art of pantomime," the commedia slapstick school, and the advent of the American minstrel show. Here that the eccentric, the early visual comics, now integrating strong character personalities and storylines, flourished for over 200 years. It was in England where eccentric took form. I realized that eccentric dance was beyond mere satire and schtick, but a universal language, and a direct reflection of our culture.

Upon returning from the Muppet Show, I was invited to appear on the Steve Allen Show, in a sketch that was based on my actual audition. Steve, a champion of my work in this field, encouraged me to continue, as did Hermes Pann, Fred Astaire's choreographer. Hermes made clear that I understood, in one emotional moment, the torch I was destined to pass along.

More determined, I was soon back at Disney and a promotional tour for the re-release of Bambi, where I talked them into allowing me to draw, then dance with Thumper, and a 6-week tour followed.

I continued to study, learning snake-hips from Buster Brown, and doing research, whenever and wherever I could....it was while working in the basement, on a 10' x 20' mural for Disney Corporate in New York City, that a phone call changed everything. I was soon auditioning for the Broadway Show, Stardust, with an act I had been developing for 10 years. A throw-back to vaudeville, dancing with a puppet was not unique, but coming back as the puppet, and in this case, a 1920's gigolo named "Maurice" certainly was! With a desire to perform eccentric while wearing a tux, while paying tribute to Ray Bolger and Leon Erroll, I was soon featured as the physical comedienne in the show, which ran for two years, working with the great choreographer Henry Letang (Sophisticated Ladies, Cotton Club, Tap). For the first time I could pay homage to all those eccentric masters and carry the torch that much further.

I hope you enjoyed these performances. Thank you!
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Visit Betsy's web site here.

And come back soon for more eccentric posts!