The American Negro Ballet Company formed in 1934 under the auspices of Eugene Von Grona

Eugene Von Grona

Eugene Von Grona, was a German professional dancer and choreographer. He was born in Berlin. As a child he visited the United States quite frequently, where he became enamored with the cakewalk and minstrel shows. By the 1920s he finally made his move to the United States with his wife Leni Bouvier...

, a German immigrant. Originally composed of thirty African-American jazz dancers, the company focussed on serious modern dance. Lavinia Williams

Lavinia Williams

Lavinia Williams , who sometimes went by the married name Lavinia Williams Yarborough, was an African-American dancer and dance educator who founded national schools of dance in several Caribbean countries.-Biography:...

 and Al Bledger were lead dancers.

Debut

The poorly-reviewed debut performance on November 21, 1937, was conducted by Dean Dixon

Dean Dixon

Charles Dean Dixon was an American conductor.Dixon was born in New York City, where he later studied conducting with Albert Stoessel at the Juilliard School and Columbia University. When early pursuits of conducting engagements were stifled because of racial bias , he formed his own orchestra and...

. It was held at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem, New York. Von Grona was the main choreographer for pieces by Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....

, Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

 and W. C. Handy

W. C. Handy

William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues"....

, among others.

Failure and Reformation

The company only lasted 5 months until 1938. In 1939 the company was reborn as "Von Grona's American Swing Ballet".