This annotated bibliography follows the acting and dancing career of Hemsley Winfield a contemporary of the pioneering, first generation of American modern dancers Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and Helen Tamiris. He and his modern dance company The New Negro Art Theatre Dance Group performed to critical acclaim, in New York City, from 1931 to 1934. Winfield was the first African American under contract to The Metropolitan Opera, when he danced the role of the Congo Witch-Doctor in "The Emperor Jones" opera in 1933. Unfortunately, Hemsley Winfield did not have as lengthy a career as other modern dancers because he died of pneumonia on January 15, 1934, at the age of 26 years and 9 months.
About the Author: Dr. Nelson Neal began his dance career at the State University of New York at Cortland, where he earned his B.S.E degree in physical education. He continued his dance training at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, earning his M.S. degree in Dance - Applied and Technical. Dr. Neal earned his Ed.D. degree at the University of Virginia. His teaching career started in 1969 at Lynn Junior High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico and continued at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Mississippi, Longwood University, Lane College, and Marywood University until 2014. He was one of the early leaders using computer technology in dance courses. His research and articles defined children's attitudes towards dance. He had 33 refereed publications and gave over 70 presentations nationally and internationally. As a USIA exchange faculty member at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, he taught modern dance and choreography. He has given dance workshops to more than 23,000 public school students in the U.S., Canada, Finland, France, and Honduras. In 1994 Dr. Neal was honored as the first Dance Educator of the Year by the Southern District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. He was President of the National Dance Association and the Virginia Alliance for Arts Education and was the first President of the Board of Directors of Fuzion Dance Artists of Sarasota, Florida. He is recognized as an authority on the life and career of Hemsley Winfield, the first African-American modern dancer, and his performing company The New Negro Art Theatre Dance Group.