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nancymeis

Negro Dance, written by Nora Holt, and performed by Kansas City jazz pianist Angela Ward.

Nora Holt (born Lena Douglas in Kansas City in 1885) was an extraordinary musical artist who graduated valedictorian from Western University, a historic black college in Quindaro, KS. She embodied the self-expression, talent and cultural freedom of the Harlem Renaissance. Admired as a composer, educator, music critic and advocate for black performers, she also garnered headlines as a glamorous free-spirit. She was the first African American woman to earn a master's degree in music, from the Chicago Musical College, and wrote more than 200 musical compositions. Negro Dance, a classically arranged piece, written 100 years ago, displays engaging influences of spirituals, jazz and ragtime. This piece, performed by Kansas City jazz artist Angela Ward, is part of a documentary being made that features Nora Holt, among other talented Western graduates who changed the landscape of American music. (From: "I'm So Glad," Kansas City And The Roots Of Black Gospel Music; The Untold Story.)



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