Chicago
The primary objective of our Chicago Legacy Project is to document and share the history of the Sammy Dyer School of the Theater and support Shirley Hall Bass' legacy performing artists in the creation of new artistic works and equitable educational programming.
Shirley Hall Bass with Dyerttes on tour, 1950 Chitlin Circuit, Charles Harris Photo Collection
Shirley Hall Bass, born on December 9, 1931, was a distinguished Black performing artist, choreographer, and international dance educator with roots in Mississippi and a connection to the Great Migration that brought her family to Chicago. Her artistic journey began with training in tap and ballet under Sadie Bruce, followed by comprehensive studies at the Sammy Dyer School of Dancing on South Michigan Avenue. Under the guidance of former Black Broadway performer Sammy Vashon Dyer, she delved into voice, ballet, tap, acrobatics, Caribbean, and modern dance.
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Notably, Bass, along with five other talented Black female dancers, formed the renowned act "The Dyerettes." This unique group of triple-threat performers gained recognition in Chicago's Bronzeville nightclubs, movie theaters, and on the Chitlin Circuit. They shared stages with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. and served as the house openers at the Apollo Theater from 1954 to 1958. The Dyerettes also embarked on international tours, starting with Nassau, Bahamas, in 1952 alongside Louis Armstrong.
Following Sammy Dyer's passing in 1960, Shirley Hall Bass assumed the role of director at the performing arts school, renaming it the Sammy Dyer School of the Theatre to honor his Black Broadway legacy accurately. To continue the tradition of excellence, she formed another act, "The Vashonettes," comprised of hand-picked students. Alongside colleagues Clarice White-Pruitt and Muriel Burns-Foster, both former Dyerettes, Bass left an indelible mark on the school's practices.
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Shirley Hall Bass's leadership cultivated a legacy that produced some of Chicago's most prominent names in theater and dance, including Kyle Davis, Randy Duncan, Taylor Edwards, Idella Reed, Lauren Ridloff, Jumanne Taylor, and Broadway choreographer Ted Levy. Her commitment to education, cultural exchange, and community building resonates through the enduring impact of the Sammy Dyer School of the Theatre.
Shiny Stockings
Capturing a unique moment in Chicago’s dance history
This staging of the dance Shiny Stockings for the Museum of Contemporary Art was a step towards a longer interdisciplinary work that re-imagines an evening-long performance at Bronzeville’s Club DeLisa. Shiny Stockings was choreographed by Shirley Hall Bass for a line of four to five dancers at Count Basie’s request for his 1957 national tour.
This work highlights the movement vernacular of Black, Broadway choreographer Sammy Dyer and his mentee, Chicago-born, Shirley Hall Bass. For this 1-hour iteration of our production, we partnered with Whitney Young High School’s, Dance Department. They learned the history from Sammy Dyer School of the Theater Alumni, performed the historic dance at the South Shore Cultural Center, and added it to their repertoire. We also presented the short documentary film, “Shiny Stockings: A Work in Progress” and a lecture presentation by Cristin Carole, Chicago choreographer, dance educator, and the grand-niece of Shirley Hall Bass.
This work captures a unique moment in Chicago’s dance history, informed by research through narrative inquiry, digitized interviews, collaborative workshops, and feedback from the still-living original performers.
Help us preserve the history of the Dyerettes
We continually seek funding for the complete scope of work that includes: additional research into the choreography of the Dyerettes, the digitizing of VHS and beta films with Sammy Dyer repertoire, additional interviews, rehearsal and equipment rental, post production on interviews, costumes, and funding for rehearsals.
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Our goal would be to reconstruct (or deconstruct) the Dyerettes repertoire Shiny Stockings and Satin Doll for a documentary film. We would include interviews from the Chicago Dance History project, research from the Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture, recently digitized videos of the Dyerettes being interviewed in 1995 during the workshop and excerpts from the Elevate hosted workshop. Ultimately, we would like to pursue additional opportunities to develop a full work “A Night at the Club Delisa” that would include the burlesque, comedic, acrobatic and tap dancing of the Dyerettes unique act. These finished work would be presented to organizations increasing the exposure to the under-represented legacy of Sammy Dyer and his contribution to the Chicago Dance scene.
Claudia Cassidy Theater October 13, 2022: "Shiny Stockings: a work-in-progress" talk and demonstration with audience participation, including a re-staging of a historical dance by Shirley Hall Bass with original members of the Dyerettes and Sammy Dyer School of the Theatre alumni.