Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28
II Dancing Fool From Loud0z C0uuyn Shoes Them Hon. to SD

chase them home and a playground for the
children. Have never lost contact with Old Viz.
ginia and never will. There Is one message yo,f
might give to the aspiring youth from me.
There is no such thing as racial prejudice as an
individual. If you have the goods, you can sue
coed the same as any other group, but you must
have two things-the goods and the goods de-
ivered on time.
ut was at the little country school at Lincoln,
Quaker settlement, that went to school, I
think the greatest factor In shaping my future
as to right thinking was received from a fine
little Quaker lady, Miss Cornelia Janney, who
used to come down to the Hollow as 1t was
called, and read and lecture to us every Friday
afternoon. Those talks andIwhat they stood for
I have carried all through life.
Perhaps the outstanding feature Of my studio
is the fact that I've never given the same rou-
tine to any two people; they are all absolutely
different"
The general color scheme Of the studio rooms
is very artistic red and green with frescoes of
figures in brown. red and yellow, doing the
Charleston, black bottom and sugar stomp
dances Mirrors are set at intervals that the
pupils may observe posture and figures. There
are dressing rooms for stars, dressing rooms for
chorus girls shower baths, private work rooms,
classrooms and Billy Pierces Office Next year
the Pierce studio Of stage dancing will take
over the entire second floor Of the building.
This new studio will be given over exclusively
to society people who have showed great interest
in learning tap dancing.
"You see," says Pierce, ''these society people
want to learn this sort Of dancing too It's go
ing to be kind Of hard to teach them how to
dance with heel and toe because they come In
walking even sitter than the show people be.
fore our studios get through with them. The
society people have got their chins up and they
shake hands up around their shoulders. But
I'm going to talk to them the same as talk
to the folks along Broadway. I'm going TO say
to them, Now that amt the way. You've got
to learn to take life easy If you want to learn
to dance. You can dance If you can walk, but
you've got to walk like you're all filled up with
the happiness Of living and like you amt going
nowhere and in no hurry to get there"
A busy place is the Pierce studio. From mid
day until in the evening there is a never
ending sound of hail on a tin roof-heel and
toe-tap, tap, tap, tap In one room Buddy
Bradley at noble sum per hour, instructs a
Broadway star in a syncopated buck. In an
other room of the studio teacher is putting
eight chorus girls through the sugar foot stomp
Some Of the dances specialized in at the Pierce
dance-factory are the eccentric buck, devil
dance, jungle stomp, Zulu stomp, Harlem hips,
stair dance and kicking routines. Billy Pierce
directs the work of his studio He is busy stag
ing revues and handling large Broadway groups
The dancing fool is married and there is q
Billy, jr, who already is dancing in his fathers
footsteps. Over on Long Island is the new
home of the dance artist, where his wife spe-
cializes in Virginia cooking. In this house is a..
priced possession, the much-sheriffed desk Of
five years ago.
But at Purcellville, Loudoun County, is the
hooters heart his childhood home and the
mother the busy artist finds time to visit once
every month. At Long Island in the Navex
Building, in the successful revues, shows and
movies lie the tangible evidence of the success
and earnest effort of this lowly born young
Negro boy. In the Negro Elks' Home at PURCELL
vile is the playground for children of his own
race. In the tender care for his aged mother
CLOVIS that Intangible something which pro-
claims Billy Pierce gentleman of his race