Alice Barker had an amazing youth. She was a chorus girl – a dancer in chorus lines during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s. It was some time after her 102nd birthday when, unexpectedly, she got the chance to relive those fond memories.
Back in 1930s, people made short music videos called ‘soundies’. What were the chances of somebody finding Alice Barker in a number of such videos after all those years?! And it was the very first time she saw herself on film, mainly because her name was misspelled most of the time – instead of Barker, she’d become Baker, thus never finding out about this treasure.
The majority of ‘soundies’ were filmed in real clubs. You can see smiling steppers, dressed in all kinds of dancing costumes, moving fluently together. And there she was, maybe with the biggest smile of them all that quickly came back on her face as she watched.
It’s just fabulous to see these!
Remembering the good times, she said her nickname was ‘Chicken Little’, because everywhere they went, she would eat chicken. But most of all, Alice talked about dancing:
That’s all I ever did. I wish I could get out of this bed and do it all over again.
As she continued to watch the videos, even though bed-ridden, she moved her arms gracefully, with the same elegance and rhythm as she did many years ago. She also told the story about her true calling: ever since she was little, she was dancing, all the time, everywhere!
It just felt so good doing it because that music, you know… I just get carried away in it.
So, if you want to get carried away by good music, watch this video and listen to the story about Alice Barker.
