Draft:Betty Felsen

Betty Felsen (1905-2000) was a ballet dancer, vaudeville star, and teacher. The Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet merged into the Chicago Opera Association in 1917. After graduating from the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet School in 1919, she joined the corps de ballet and became a ballerina soloist in December 1920. Felsen left the Chicago Opera in 1922 for a vaudeville career and with her new partner Jack Broderick, began touring the U.S. and Canada in their headline act, Broderick & Felsen. After Jack left the act near the end of 1927, Betty performed with her troupe as Betty Felsen & Company until November 1928. Betty then owned and operated a performing arts school, first in Worcester MA until 1932 and then in Cleveland OH until she retired in 1937.

Between 1913 and 1915, Russian dancers Andreas Pavley and Serge Oukrainsky toured the United States as members of the Anna Pavlova Ballet Company and often danced with Pavlova as her partner. In 1915 Pavley and Oukrainsky left Pavlova’s company and moved to Chicago where they established the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet.

In 1917 the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet became the official ballet of the Chicago Opera Association (1915-1921) — formerly the Chicago Grand Opera (1910-1914) — and they became its leading dancers, choreographers and co-directors of its ballet company. From 1922 to 1932 it was named the Chicago Civic Opera. Through all its iterations, the opera company was frequently referred to simply as the Chicago Opera.

Ballet career

Early years

Betty was born on June 9, 1905, in Chicago, IL to Lillian and David Felsenthal. Her birth name was Bertha Felsenthal, which she never used professionally. She demonstrated an early passion and aptitude for ballet and began taking lessons from H. W. Miller at his local ballet school in 1913 when she was seven years old. From 1913 to 1916 Betty appeared in many local public performances, many of which were presented by her ballet school. In the programs and newspaper articles about those programs, Betty’s first name often appeared as Buddye but occasionally as Buddy or Buddie, and her last name was either Felsen or Felsenthal. A particularly outstanding review was in the New York Star, which for a time was known as The Vaudeville News and New York Star, for her performance at a meeting of the Western Vaudeville Managers Association, probably on June 11 or 12 in 1915. The paper's Chicago representative, Mr. H.C. Danforth, wrote a letter on June 16, 1915, praising her abilities. From the start, she danced with other students but beginning in the spring of 1914 she often danced solo routines.

From corps de ballet to ballerina soloist

In 1916, shortly before her tenth birthday, Betty’s proficiency and enthusiasm led her parents to enroll her in the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet School under the name Buddye Felsenthal. For the more proficient students who wanted to acquire a virtuoso technique there was a three-year special professional level in which Betty had been enrolled. Infrequently referred to as Elise, Betty toured with the opera company throughout North America. Being the youngest member of the ballet company by two or three years, many referred to her as the baby of the ballet.

The Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet occasionally presented programs at different venues in which pupils in its school and members of the corps de ballet performed. Betty, usually listed as Mlle. or Buddye Felsenthal in articles and programs, sometimes danced in an ensemble or a duo. While in the ballet school, she continued to perform independently of it at various venues.

In 1919 the Chicago Opera Association accepted Betty, sometimes referred to as Elise, as a member of the corps de ballet because she passed the required tests with the highest standings. Betty was one of several Gypsies dancing while Carmen sings in Act 2 of the Chicago Opera’s 1921 productions of Bizet’s opera Carmen. From December 1920 to March 1921, she danced her first solo performances in opera productions. She began dancing more frequently as a ballerina soloist under her stage name Betty Felsen from 1921 through the end of 1922. During this time, Betty toured with the opera company throughout North America.

In 1919, Adolph Bolm was invited by the Chicago Opera to stage an original ballet. He decided to develop a ballet of The Birthday of the Infanta with music by Chicago composer John Alden Carpenter and decor by the American designer Robert Edmond Jones. This ballet was presented at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on December 23, 1919, and the Lexington Theatre in New York City on February 23, 1920. Midwest dancer Ruth Page starred as the Infanta and Bolm danced the role of the dwarf. Bolm’s complete Infanta ballet has not been a part of a known ballet repertoire since then. However, two scenes of The Birthday of the Infanta were performed by The Chicago Opera at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater on January 14, 1922, followed by several performances at the Manhattan Opera House in New York City. In these two scenes, sixteen-year-old ballerina Betty Felsen danced as the Infanta, Oukrainsky danced as the dwarf, and Pavley danced as a Gypsy leader.

During the 1920-1921 and 1921-1922 opera seasons, Betty performed in the Dance of the Moorish Slaves in Verdi’s Aida numerous times. She was one of six female slaves but appeared first performing a short solo dance, then danced with the ensemble of male and female slaves during which she performed several short solo dances.

Vaudeville stardom

In late fall of 1922, Betty, as a very mature seventeen-year-old, wanted to have more creative control over her dancing and to expand her dancing repertoire beyond ballet. She left the Chicago Opera and began performing solo engagements at several venues in Chicago. A new show was about to be presented at Fred Mann’s Million Dollar Rainbo Room in the Rainbo Gardens. Under the name Buddye Felsen, Betty landed a starring dancing role and the famous singer Ruth Etting was hired as one of the lead singers. The show, Rainbo Trail, directed by Frank Westphal, opened on December 15, 1922, and ran until March 1, 1923. In addition to her lead dancing role, “Buddye” danced solo numbers between the show’s scenes.

Betty continued to perform on her own at various venues until late spring 1923 when she and Frank Lischeron began to dance together. Beginning in June they were engaged by Balaban & Katz to appear for one week each at many of their numerous theaters, including their most palatial in the greater Chicago area. At the end of the summer, Betty and Frank went their separate ways, mostly because they did not have the same long-term goals for a vaudeville act. Additionally, Betty felt that Frank did not have the same level of experience or expertise that she had in the many styles of dance that she wanted to present in the act.

Betty formed a partnership with dancer Jack Broderick at the beginning of the fall in 1923 and for the next few weeks they hired performers and crew and developed their act, Broderick & Felsen, for the vaudeville stage. Still under twenty years old, they soon became known everywhere as the Youthful Aristocrats of Dance, as they continued to be called throughout their career together. Their act was often billed as the headline act.

Betty and Jack wore costumes that were elaborate, beautiful, and designed to fit each style of dance they performed. While most vaudeville acts ran ten minutes or less, Broderick & Felsen’s more complex production numbers lasted twenty minutes. Those productions had sets that were often large and extravagant. Broderick & Felsen had a crew that included backup dancers, as well as musicians and people responsible for wardrobe, makeup, sets, and baggage handling.

Broderick & Felsen toured extensively in the Midwest on the B.F. Keith Vaudeville Circuit during the last quarter of 1923 and into the second quarter of 1924. In January 1924 they hired Verne Rathaar to provide piano music for their performances. Rathaar was usually mentioned in the playbills and programs, and often in the reviews.

The B.F. Keith Vaudeville Circuit and the Pantages Vaudeville Circuit had many theaters in the mid-west. However, the Keith circuit had the largest number of theaters in the eastern United States and the Pantages circuit was the largest in the west. So, wanting to tour the western part of the country, shortly before the summer of 1924 Broderick & Felsen contracted with the Pantages Vaudeville Circuit and performed across the American mid-west and the western United States and Canada through December.

For over two years they toured primarily on the B.F. Keith Vaudeville Circuit and the Pantages Vaudeville Circuit, but in late 1925 they appeared on the Orpheum Vaudeville Circuit and at two independent vaudeville theater chains. Throughout their tours, Broderick & Felsen presented their program of original dance creations, which involved different styles of dance that included classical ballet, tap, Spanish — including the Argentine tango, jazz, waltz, and modern (aka interpretive). One of Betty’s most well-known ballet creations was titled “The Butterfly Who Lived but a Day” which she performed many times throughout her career. During this time, they made a number of improvements to the programs, keeping some dances, removing some, and revising some. One of their most popular interpretive dances was their ceremonial dance. The performances involved Betty and Jack dancing together and each dancing separately. Betty frequently presented her own original and difficult cymbal dance. Jack played the violin as one of his solo presentations.

It is not unusual for a dancer to suffer an injury. When injured, a dancer may continue with a performance depending on the severity of the injury as well as the dancer’s training, fortitude, and pain tolerance. Betty was able to continue a performance and power through the pain of an injury that would inhibit many other dancers, including dancing with a torn ligament in her leg.

When performing a partnered jump (aka leap) and catch lift — sometimes referred to as a “flying catch”, a female dancer typically runs to her male partner or does a small jump to her partner who then performs the lift. Betty and Jack were among the relatively few dancers, particularly at their young ages, in which the woman could perform a leap from a distance to their partner who then completes a difficult lift. While Betty’s leaps were extraordinary, Jack was particularly skilled at catching her and maneuvering her into various positions and lifts. Broderick & Felsen frequently performed one of the most daring and famous leaps of all dancing in which Betty runs and leaps in a dive past Jack and he catches her by the ankles and swings her around.

In January 1925 Betty and Jack ended their contract with the Pantages circuit and returned to the B.F. Keith circuit. They decided that a piano did not provide sufficient musical support for their many different styles of dancing. After auditioning other musicians in January 1925, they replaced Verne Rathaar with the Jud Hill Orchestra. generally known as Jud Hill’s Chicago Blue Devils. Also in January, Betty convinced tap dancer Pincus Leff, aka Pinky Lee, to join their company and he soon became a featured dancer. The orchestra and Pincus Leff remained with the act throughout 1925.

The Broadway debut of Broderick & Felsen opened on September 20 at the B.S. Moss Colony Theater on Broadway at 53^rd Street in New York City in their production called Campus Capers. It was a prologue Betty and Jack created for the new Harold Lloyd movie, The Freshman. They also created a new prologue act for the movie, The Phantom of the Opera that would be shown beginning on November 28, after the ten-week engagement of The Freshman ended. Their act was extended indefinitely and continued for 19 or 20 weeks, finishing on January 30 or February 6 in 1926 when the run of The Phantom of the Opera movie ended.

When Betty and Jack finished their Colony Theater engagement, they joined the new production by actor-comedian Emil Boreo called Mirage de Paris. They created elaborate sets and costumes and hired somewhere between 25 and 35 performers. After completing about three weeks of rehearsals the show opened on February 21, 1926, at Chicago’s premier vaudeville theater, the Palace, with Betty and Jack in the starring roles. After a successful week at the Palace followed by a week in St. Louis and another week back in Chicago, the show played to outstanding reviews at Orpheum circuit theaters in the United States and Canada through May, and probably throughout most of the summer.

Following a much-needed rest, Broderick and Felsen created their own exciting production titled Ballet Caprice in which they presented routines in their many dance styles with many elegant costumes and some elaborate sets. They contracted with impresario George Choos to produce it and manage the tour. Their troupe included six performers who danced or played instruments in various routines. Betty and Jack danced solo numbers, as well as together in pas de deux routines and in ensemble with other members of their troupe. Some dancers performed numbers accompanied by Jack on the violin. The show opened on September 30, 1926, in New York City at B.F. Keith’s Riverside Theater on Broadway at 96^th Street. Broderick & Felsen then continued their Ballet Caprice tour of Keith-Albee circuit theaters in other cities before returning to New York City to present the show at the Hippodrome Theater for the week of January 3, 1927. After that week, their tour continued for most of the year in the mid-west and northeast.

Florenz Ziegfeld created for his Ziegfeld Follies the Shadowgraph stage production, which was based on the principles of the shadowgraph machine whereby the curtain was used in a similar manner as the transparent mediums in the machine. It is considered by many to be one of the funniest acts ever presented in vaudeville. Specially designed colored glasses are given to each person in the audience. Behind a semitransparent curtain entertainers perform various routines such as throwing water, balls, and other objects at the curtain. To the audience it looks like they are about to be struck by these objects which they try to dodge, while breaking out in laughter.

From January 1927 into June 1928, a shadowgraph production appeared at many of the theaters on the same bill at which Ballet Caprice played. Members of the Ballet Caprice troupe were often among those who performed behind the curtain for the production.

Toward the end of 1927, when the Broderick and Felsen act was at its peak in popularity among audiences and critics, Jack left the act and ended the partnership. Betty overcame her disappointment and created a production called Visions of Dance for her new dance company known as Betty Felsen & Company. Betty hired Sydney Boyd as her dance partner for this production. This act also included six female backup dancers, at least some of whom had been members of the Broderick & Felsen troupe, and a male vocalist and was produced by Edith May Capes who had performed in silent films and on Broadway. Betty's new act played primarily in Keith-Albee-Orpheum vaudeville circuit theaters in the northeast, probably starting in January 1928.

Betty Felsen & Company performed the Ballet Caprice at least one more time, notably during the week of June 4 at New York City's famed Palace Theater. Their appearance on June 9 was the final performance of Ballet Caprice. Vaudevillians and other stage performers strove to present their acts at the Palace because that would be the highlight of their careers. Some of the theater greats who played the Palace were Ethel Barrymore, Will Rogers, The Marx Brothers, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Harry Belafonte, Bette Midler, Shirley MacLaine, and Diana Ross.

Neither Sydney Boyd nor any other of Betty’s dancing partners had Jack Broderick’s charisma, excitement, technique, or skill. Though Betty was an exceptional, beautiful, and electrifying dancer and her backup dancers were superb, the act — with its reduced scope — was never as sensational, captivating, or popular as when Jack was her partner. So, probably sometime in September 1928, Betty decided to leave the vaudeville stage, reside with her parents and sister permanently in Worcester, Massachusetts, and open a performing arts school.

Performing arts schools

Betty owned and operated successful performing arts schools from October 1928 through early 1937, first in Worcester Massachusetts and then in Cleveland Ohio. Over the years, her schools went through several iterations under different names, sometimes with a partner and other times without one. Her schools proved so popular Betty had to hire several teachers to cover the different areas of entertainment being taught, as well as at least two pianists to assist. Classes included ballet, tap, acrobatics, voice, musical comedy, and opera comique. She also continued to perform at various venues, sometimes alone and sometimes with her best students.

Worcester MA

Betty’s Worcester MA school was variously known as the:

• Danny Duggan & Betty Felsen School of The Dance and School of Dancing, 1928
• Betty Felsen-Danny Duggan Studio of the Dance, 1929
• Betty Felsen Studio of the Dance, 1930
• Betty Felsen School of Stage Dancing

Betty opened her first school in Worcester on November 1, 1928, in partnership with well-known vaudeville dancer and Worcester native Danny Duggan. It was called The Danny Duggan-Betty Felsen School of The Dance, aka “School of Dancing”. The classes included ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance.

During the week of November 18 Betty performed her acclaimed cymbal dance at Worcester’s Capitol Theater, followed by command performances at Worcester’s Plymouth Theater and again at the Capitol. Though no longer a full-time performer, throughout 1929 she presented her show The Betty Felsen Revue in recitals and concerts held at various venues in Worcester, MA. Programs included Betty, her more advanced students who were known as the Betty Felsen Dancers and Alan (aka Oscar) Hoglund who sang (baritone) and danced. Her revue included one or more musicians and sometimes other performers.

Danny Dugan served as host and master of ceremonies for many of the Worcester performances until their partnership ended in December 1929. Duggan continued his career by becoming a successful booking agent and producer.

During the early-to-mid 1930s, Betty continued to operate her school, now known as the Betty Felsen Studio of the Dance or the Betty Felsen School of Stage Dancing and present The Betty Felsen Revue at vaudeville theaters on the RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Circuit throughout New England. The revue toured from June 4, 1930, when they left Worcester until September 14 when they returned home. For this tour, the Betty Felsen Dancers included only her six most advanced students who were interested in a stage career. It lasted 14 1/2 weeks and included performances in Boston, MA, Auburn, ME, Portland ME, Portsmouth NH, Providence RI, and Springfield MA.

Cleveland OH

Betty moved to Cleveland and opened the Betty Felsen School of the Dance sometime in mid-1932. Her school was firs located at 510 Carnegie Hall but in late 1934 was moved to 1706 Euclid Avenue in Playhouse Square. The rates charged at Betty’s school were very reasonable and affordable for ballet, tap, and vocal lessons. From then until she retired in mid-1937, she operated her school under several different names and to perform with her advanced students. In early 1936, Betty had a short partnership with David Berke with whom she sometimes performed. Her schools were variously known as:

• Betty Felsen School of the Dance
• Betty Felsen Studios
• Felsen & Berke Studios of Stage and Radio Arts
• Betty Felsen Studios of Stage and Radio Arts

On June 21, 1936, Betty presented her annual program, The Betty Felsen Revue, at Cleveland’s Masonic Auditorium. This program included sixty-five students she selected from the hundred or so students at the Betty Felsen Studios. Some of Betty’s students were active professionally, particularly in various Cleveland productions, and were mentioned in the press.

Betty served as a judge of the singing and dancing performances for multiple amateur talent competitions, and often gave free lessons at her school to the winners.

Betty’s school continued to thrive and remain very popular until she retired from professional life after she got married in June 1937.