AUGUST 14 - 20, 2014 THE VOICE | 25

Arts Jacqueline Asafu-Adjaye, Sponsored Features Editor @thevoicenews voicenewspaper www.voice-online.co.uk The Living Legends Project AT THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM

Written by Archivist Leon Robinson of Positive Steps EVENT

EDITED BY JANET BROWNE, LIVING LEGENDS THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM CLARK BROTHERS FRI 22 AUGUST iving Legends is a nine month project to digitise, re- 18:30 PM search, interpret and exhibit The Lydia and the personal archival collec- tions of Leon Robinson of Manfred Gorvy LPositive Steps, and Steve Clark of the tap Lecture Theatre dancing duo The Clark Brothers. VICTORIA AND The Clark Brothers career ALBERT MUSEUM spans over eighty years and offers a wonderful Vic Evans (front), and Chester Harriott (Pianist Cromwell Road, insight into a world many of and Ainsley Harriott’s Father) was also known as South Kensington us could only bear ‘The Black Liberace’ London, SW7 2RL witness to on the giant © Positive Steps cinema screen or Join us for a stellar night with dear to dream about Steve Clark, whose tap dancing career with brother The Clark Brothers career spans over Jimmy spanned eight decades. eighty years and offers a wonderful They shared the stage with insight into a world many of us could Josephine Baker, , only bear witness to on the giant cinema and The Beatles. screen or dear to dream about. Steve Clark will give an insight into performing during an era Born and brought up during the depres- when gangsters controlled the sion in the Southern States of America, Steve and Jimmy Clark were self taught clubs and segregation was dancers and choreographers, honing commonplace, and fi ll in some their craft on the streets of Philadelphia missing chapters within British - the same city that gave birth to tap variety entertainment history. dancers The Nicholas Brothers, The Archivist Leon Robinson will Miller Brothers, and Honi Coles. introduce you to the electrifying dancer and actor They became very well known in Junior Laniyan accompanied Philadelphia, not just for dancing by the awesome pianist but for sports, with Steve receiving a Steve and Jimmy of the Clark Brothers Steve Clark and Ainsley Harriott Jessica Lauren; Britain’s latest fencing scholarship to Temple Univer- © Positive Steps © Positive Steps sity, the same University as Bill Cosby, tap dance duo The Simmons and played basketball for the Harlem Brothers (Ben & Alex), and rare Globetrotters. fi lm footage of the amazing great artists such as and The Clark Brothers moved to the Unit- for actors, and is still very active Clark Brothers. They fi rst went on the road in 1929 when Lena Horne. They were fortunate to be ed Kingdom in 1948 to appear in the today working with Positive Steps on Jimmy was seven and Steve only fi ve appearing at the Sands at the time when show Hellzapoppin at The London the Living Legends Project, which is Tickets £5, includes after a fortuitous meeting with the enter- the original Ocean’s Eleven (1960) was Casino now known as the Prince supported by the National Lottery a drinks reception tainment impresario Gene Austin while being fi lmed, where their cousin Sammy Edward Theatre, and in the same year through the Heritage Lottery Fund. To book telephone the working as shoeshine boys in Atlanta. Davis Jnr would invite them to join him gave their fi rst command performance Bookings Team on: They toured with Gene Austin’s show for and his friends - Frank Sinatra, Dean at Windsor Castle. They became a Positive Steps houses the largest 020 7942 2211 six months earning the princely sum of Martin and Peter Lawford at the bar. regular fi xture on British television on and most authoritative collection of $100 a week. Sometimes Sinatra would get up on the shows such as Sunday Night at the primary source material on Black In collaboration with Lounge stage and sing while the Clark Palladium, The Good Old Days and artists who have contributed to the cultural The Clark Brothers went on to play the Brothers accompanied him with their The Dickie Henderson Show. They landscape of England, spanning Positive Steps Cotton Club and the Apollo in Harlem, unstoppable tap, fl air and swagger. co-wrote the hit song You Need Hands the 19th Century to the present day. The Living Legends is a Positive Steps and were contemporaries, and shared with Max Bygraves, and were dance Living Legends Project is creating learn- project supported by the the stage with, luminaries such as They became a regular tutors to several British pop groups ing opportunities and resources, which National Lottery through the Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Josephine fi xture on British television on during the ‘Swinging Sixties’ including attract and address the needs of various Heritage Lottery Fund Baker, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, shows such as Sunday Night Cliff Richards and the Shadows, and audiences, in particular providing an , and Elvis Presley. at the Palladium, The Good Freddie and the Dreamers. opportunity for young people to learn Old Days and The Dickie This page is sponsored by the They witnessed the birth of Las Vegas, Steve, the surviving brother, now and implement important and relevant Victoria and Albert Museum performing and appearing alongside Henderson Show resides at Brinsworth House, a home heritage skills.