J.WORLD STILL: Féral-Benga Sculpture by Richmond Barthé 1935

The Dancer: Féral-Benga – Research Data (2023) Watch here

Filmed during my Paris residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, this interview informs us of the in Senegalese born, Féral-Benga, a fellow dancer of Josephine Baker and a proposed subject within the documentary “Josephine’s World.” This is a informal low-tech video filmed while doing research in Paris, May/June 2023. Brian Scott Bagley, choreographer and Parisian dance-historian, expounds on the career of Féral-Benga. Included is a short impromptu choreographed dance from Bagley inspired by the Richmond Barthé sculpture and photos of Feral-Benga’s famous “Machete-Dance.” Féral-Benga, Josephine Baker and night-club owner Ada ‘Bricktop’ Smith were an African diasporic, Parisian cohort. More video-time would have allowed Bagley to discuss the camaraderie of these dancers/entertainers with the many modern artists, intellectuals and writers who frequented their Paris nightclubs.