Long before the world knew her as a poet, memoirist, and civil rights champion, Maya Angelou was a nightclub performer. Her journey through nightclubs, opera houses, and international tours reveals a woman who understood the power of embodiment—and whose artistry danced along the edges of burlesque, even if it never bore the name.
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her birth name was Marguerite Annie Johnson, and the nickname “Maya” came from her older brother, who affectionately called her “My” or “Mya Sister”. (Wikipedia)
Studying Dance:
Maya studied modern dance with Martha Graham in the early 1950s, gaining firsthand experience with Graham’s emotionally driven technique. She also trained in African dance with Pearl Primus and performed in a nightclub act with Alvin Ailey. These influences shaped Angelou’s approach to movement and storytelling, laying a foundation for the presence that defined her later work as a writer and speaker.
Nightclubs & Name Changes | 1954-55
At 25 years old Maya was performing as Marguerite Johnson or “Rita”. In 1954 she began singing and dancing calypso in San Francisco clubs like The Purple Onion. Encouraged by managers to adopt a more distinctive stage name, she became “Maya Angelou,” a blend of her childhood nickname and her ex-husband’s surname.
Porgy & Bess | International Tour
In 1954, she joined a 22-nation tour of Porgy and Bess as the dancer Ruby. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the tour was part of Cold War cultural diplomacy, showcasing Black American artistry abroad while sidestepping domestic racial tensions. Angelou performed in Italy, France, Egypt, Israel, and Yugoslavia, including a landmark appearance at La Scala in Milan.
In a 2010 interview with NPR, Maya recalled,
“I was a dancer who could sing a bit. And the dancer, the principal dancer was leaving the company. So when the company came to San Francisco in 1954, I was singing in a nightclub and some of the artists saw me and they asked if I could dance on the stage.”
“There really was no contest. I wanted to travel, to try to speak other languages, to see the cities I had read about all my life, but most important, I wanted to be with a large, friendly group of Black people who sang so gloriously and lived with such passion.”
“Al & Rita”: Dance Duo with Alvin Ailey
In the early 1950s, Angelou formed a nightclub act with Alvin Ailey called Al & Rita, performing modern and African dance in California venues. Though short-lived, the partnership placed her at the heart of a burgeoning Black modern dance movement. Ailey would go on to found the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, while Angelou’s path veered toward writing and activism.
Calypso Craze | 1956-57
By early 1956, Angelou was headlining her own exotic calypso act at The Keyboard in Beverly Hills. She performed at the Village Vanguard in New York, Clouds in Honolulu, and joined the Lester Horton dancers for a Halloween show at the Palladium. Her performances were improvisational and magnetic—when she forgot lyrics, she’d simply announce it and dance instead!
In September 1956, she signed with Liberty Records. Her debut album, Miss Calypso, was released in 1957 during a national calypso craze sparked by Harry Belafonte. Angelou sang all the tracks and composed five of them, backed by studio legends Tommy Tedesco (guitar) and Al Bello (percussion). The album included songs like “Run Joe,” “Scandal in the Family,” and “Calypso Blues,” blending flirtation, wit, and domestic drama.
The cover art—Angelou in a red slip, dancing beside a bonfire in a stylized jungle—evoked pulp fantasy and nightclub allure. It wouldn’t feel out of place in a burlesque poster archive.
Maya in Film | Calypso Heat Wave (1957)
Angelou appeared in the film Calypso Heat Wave, performing her own compositions. This musical revue-style film was part of Hollywood’s attempt to capitalize on the popularity of calypso music. Angelou’s appearance was brief but memorable, showcasing her as a dynamic performer with a commanding stage presence. She sang her own songs, including “Run Joe” and “Scandal in the Family,” alongside “All That Happens in the Market Place.”
The Trailer for Calypso Heat Wave:
Maya performing Calypso Heat Wave:
Maya performing All That Happens in the Market:
Burlesque Parallels
Although Maya never performed burlesque in the classic sense, her early career in dancing and performance share core tenets with burlesque. She had a sensual storytelling quality through her movement. She improvised with wit and commanded an audience. Through reinvention of a new public identity she created a theatrical persona. Maya’s metamorphosis from nightclub dancer to global literary icon is a mirror to burlesque’s own traditions of transformation and shedding layers to reveal truth, power, and artistry.
Maya Angelou passed away on May 28, 2014 at the age of 86 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Her poetry and prose gave voice to generations of Black women whose stories had long been silenced or distorted. Whether through the rhythm of her words or the cadence of her movement, Angelou embodied a fierce commitment to truth-telling, dignity, and joy. Her legacy reminds us that art is not merely a reflection of life—it is a tool for transformation, resistance, and healing.
Sources
- https://dancemagazine.com/maya-angelou-poet-dancer/#gsc.tab=0
- https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/05/28/147369802/maya-angelou-poet-activist-and-singular-storyteller-dies-at-86
- https://www.largeup.com/2014/05/28/maya-angelou/
- https://www.largeup.com/2014/05/28/maya-angelou/
- https://modernismmodernity.org/forums/posts/porgy-and-bess-cold-war-italy
- https://www.wqxr.org/story/maya-angelou-appeared-touring-production-porgy-and-bess/
- https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/art/blogs/community/2014/05/28/dr-maya-angelou-she-danced/9681689/
- https://www.sausalitohistoricalsociety.com/2022-columns/2022/5/25/when-maya-angelou-danced-in-sausalito
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
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