Master Juba

The First Black Minstrel

Master Juba was the stage name of William Henry Lane who was born a free man in New York and lived from the years 1825 to 1852. He emerged as the greatest dancer of his era and was one of the first black performers in the United States of America.

He began his career in the saloons and dance halls of the Five Points neighborhood of Manhattan in the 1840s and than moved on to the minstrel shows throughout the decade, specifically in the year 1846.

He traveled with the white minstrels and recieved top billing. He stood out as a dancer because he emphasized his leg movements, and improvised the irish jig and the shuffle. Juba was so great at dancing that he would beat any white man who challenged him in a contest. Master Juba brought authenticity to minstrel shows, especially to the dance.

Although Master Juba was a famous dancer, the fact that he was an African American led to some discrimination toward him. Master Juba was not allowed to enter some restaurants and hotels, even though he was paid the most out of his troupe. In Europe, Master Juba was welcomed with open arms because the Europeans did not have slavery like the United States. Juba travelled to England with Pell's Ethopian Serenaders.

By the age of 17 , he was a professional and a well known dancer. He was fortunate enough to travel all over the world and Europe. He later built a school in London and died there at the young age of 27. Some believe that Juba died because of his poor diet and the strenuous hours that he put into his shows. Master Juba was the person who took the first steps into changing the stereotypes of the African American people.