Saturday, March 7th, 2026
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
An International Women’s Day salon discussion and performance
Limited spaces available. Ticket required.
A jazz band led by saxophonist extraordinaire @herbscottmusic will accompany dance performances and conversation with @bebe.bardeaux, @gigiholliday, @hannahpilarrr, and @kassidyluvit, facilitated by Dr. Emerald Christopher, Adjunct Professor of Women and Gender Studies at Georgetown University.
The internationally acclaimed performers will be exploring the legacy of “shake dancers”, a unique historical term given to Black burlesque performers and jazz dancers from the late 19th century and throughout the 1960s.
Segregation ruled America during this time, as a result most shake dancers performed in “for-us, by-us” spaces and integrated “black and tan” nightclubs. While many talented Black shake dancers were relegated to perform in substandard conditions on Vaudeville circuits, others were exalted to celebrity status at a time of deep racial division.
The panel will discuss how these dynamics impacted historical shake dancers and continue to impact modern Black femme performers today.
Additionally, Bebe Bardeaux will discuss her forthcoming book titled SHAKE QUEENS, an examination of the long history of shake dancing from its origins in Africa to its arrival on American stages.
The legacy of shake dancing continues to live through performers and historians whom have greatly contributed to building a modern performance archive that will never stop demanding liberation of the Black feminine form.