Josie Woods

Josie Woods (16 May 1912 – 28 June 2008) was a Black British dancer, choreographer and activist.

Josie Woods
Born
Josephine Lucy Wood

(1912-05-16)16 May 1912[1][2][3]
Canning Town, London,[1][2] England, UK
Died28 June 2008(2008-06-28) (aged 96)[1][2]
California,[1][2] U.S.
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer

Early life

Woods was born Josephine Lucy Wood in Canning Town, London, in 1912.[1][2] Her father, Charles Wood, was from Dominica, and her mother, Emily, had Gypsy ancestry.[1][2] As a teenager, Woods worked as a seamstress.[1][2] In 1927, Belle Davis held auditions for a dance troupe in the East End of London, and selected Woods and her brother, Charles or Charlie.[1][2] They trained with a clog dancing group, The Eight Lancashire Lads.[2][4]

Davis created a group called the Magnolia Blossoms with several girls, including Woods.[1][2]

Career

The Magnolia Blossoms worked in Paris with Louis Douglas, and became part of his show Black People.[2] Woods appeared in la Revue nègre, replacing Josephine Baker.[1][2]

Woods worked in France for two years before returning to Britain in 1932 as part of the group Eight Black Streaks.[1] The group toured music halls and were successful, being described as "the first established dance troupe of black Britons".[1][2] They appeared in the film Kentucky Minstrels (1934).[1]

Woods also toured with Cyril Lagey and Ken "Snakehips" Johnson.[2] During the Second World War, she worked with Eddie Williams.[1][2]

Woods taught dance.[1][2] She was one of the first people to introduce the jitterbug to Britain.[1] After the Second World War, she set up an act with one of her students, Willie Payne, and they appeared in clubs as Ken Ross and Lucille.[1][2] They were guest stars in the film Nitwits on Parade (1949).[1] Later she worked with Cab Kaye as an act called Two Brown Birds of Rhythm.[2]

Activism

Woods was a community activist in Brixton, and taught people about Black British history.[2]

When working as an extra on the film Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure (1951), she organised a strike over pay.[1]

Legacy

In 1997, a television documentary was made about Woods by the BBC, for the programme Black Britain.[1][2]

Woods is part of the Black History Tube Map set up by the Black Cultural Archives and Transport for London.[5]

Her biography was included in the Knowing Newham Hero Hunt, a children's theatre production developed for Newham Heritage Month in 2021.[6]

Personal life

Woods was married in the 1930s; her husband was abusive.[2] In 1956 she had a son with an American soldier who was stationed in the UK.[2] Her son, Ralph Moore, became a saxophonist in America.[1][2] Woods moved to California in 2001.[1][2] She died in 2008 aged 96.[1][2]

References
  1. Bourne, Stephen (23 August 2008). "Josie Woods: Tap-dancing star of music hall". Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  2. Wilmer, Val (2 August 2008). "Josie Woods". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  3. Bourne, S. (2020). Under Fire: Black Britain in Wartime 1939–45. History Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7509-9583-2. Retrieved 21 Nov 2022.
  4. Williams, J.L. (2010). Miss Shirley Bassey. Quercus. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-85738-394-5. Retrieved 21 Nov 2022.
  5. "Black History Tube Map". Black Cultural Archives. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  6. "Josie Woods, Dancer – Featured in The 'Knowing Newham' Hero Hunt". Newham Heritage Month. Newham Unlocked. 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
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