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Jeni LeGon - Living in a Great Big Way
Description
Meet Jeni LeGon--a talented and passionate dancer who became the first Black
woman to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio. A warm and
vibrant storyteller, she reflects on her 82 years of life, sharing her dreams
and struggles. Jeni grew up in Chicago, where she taught herself to dance,
gathering her early audiences around her on the sidewalks that were her first
stage. She becme a solo dancer in the Count Basie Chorus Line and set her
sights for Hollywood. There she landed a role with Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
in Hurray for Love, followed by over a dozen other films. But with
all her talent, Jeni LeGon could not break through the colour barrier of a
segregated Hollywood.
In the late 1960s, Jeni made Vancouver her home and became a teacher and
choreographer. The film includes interviews with tap dancer Fayard Nicholas
and archival footage of Fayard and Harold Nicholas, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson,
Fats Waller, Paul Robeson and Cab Calloway.
1999, 49 min 28 s
Awards
Bronze Plaque Award - Category: Arts and Culture
International Film and Video Festival
October 25 to 27 2000, Columbus - USA
Canada's Choice Award - Category: Best Short Documentary
Moving Pictures
April 1 to November 1 2000, Toronto - Canada
Michael Blaustein Biography Award
National Black Programming Consortium
October 23 1999, Columbus - USA
Special Mention
International Film Festival
September 24 to October 10 1999, Vancouver - Canada
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