Wikipedia

Florenz Tamara

Florenz Tamara (May 12, 1898 – December 31, 1947), also known as Florence E. Fowler, was an American dancer in the 1920s and 1930s. She was the professional partner and wife of Addison Fowler; they performed as the tango and modern dance team Fowler & Tamara.

Florenz Tamara
A man and woman in costumes, in a dance pose; she is wearing a skirt that is wide at the hips and ends just below the knees; and he is wearing breeches that tie just below the knee; she is wearing a wig and a corset-style bodice
Fowler & Tamara, as they appeared in George White's Scandals (1926)
Born
Florence Gustave

May 12, 1898
DiedDecember 31, 1947
OccupationDancer
SpouseAddison Fowler

Early life edit

Florenz Tamara gave Chicago as her birthplace on travel documents and census forms, but she was usually described as being from San Francisco,[1][2] or possibly Oakland, with the original name Florence Gustave.[3] She explained that she was a "delicate" child who was encouraged to study dance as exercise.[4]

Career edit

Florence Gustave danced in southern California as a young woman, paired with Jack Holland.[5][6] Beginning about 1921,[7][8] the "fancy and eccentric"[9] dance act of Fowler & Tamara were known for their tango, foxtrot, and modern dance performances.[10][11][12] Individually she was also known as a toe dancer.[13] In 1924 the pair danced on stage to a radio broadcast, when the orchestra failed to appear for their performance at Aeolian Hall.[14] Her Broadway credits include performances in Zelda Sears' musical comedy Lollipop (1924)[15] and the revue George White's Scandals (1926-1927).[16] They toured in the United States and internationally[17] through the 1920s and 1930s.[18][19][20]

Newspapers carried descriptions of Tamara's costumes,[13] pets,[2][21][22] and shopping,[23] and her advice on posture and "perfect carriage".[24] A 1938 review found them past their prime, describing their program as an "inept exhibition."[25] After they retired from full-time performing, Fowler and Tamara opened a dance school in Providence, Rhode Island.[26][27]

Personal life edit

In 1930, in London,[28] Florenz Tamara married her dance partner, Ernest Addison "Jack" Fowler.[29] She died in 1947; her husband died in 1957.[30] Her scrapbook and some of her costumes are in the collection of the Lake County Museum in California.[31]

References edit

  1. ^ "Dance Team to be Next on Community Concert Bill". The Montana Standard. 1938-04-17. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "'Bouledogue' Collar Latest in Neckwear". Triplicate. March 28, 1924. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  3. ^ "Ex-Oaklander Shanghaied into Movie-Sound Acting". Oakland Tribune. 1929-01-18. p. 29. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Famous Dance Team to Appear on Stanford Series". The Times. 1938-03-29. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Society: Coronado". The Los Angeles Times. 1916-12-24. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "San Diego Gaieties". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1917-02-03. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Price, Guy (December 10, 1921). "A Thing or Two about the Stage and the Screen". Los Angeles Herald. pp. B11. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. ^ "Personals". Greenville Evening Record. May 24, 1921. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  9. ^ "Eccentric Dancers Bongiovanni Feature". Pittsburgh Daily Post. 1923-05-27. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tango is Back in Simplified Form; Star-Gazette to Show New Steps". Star-Gazette. 1924-03-17. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Soanes, Wood (1925-08-12). "Curtain Calls". Oakland Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Fancy Fox Trotters Will Fling Frenzied Foot in Big Contest". Oakland Tribune. 1922-05-28. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Addison Fowler, Florenz Tamara in Dance Act". The San Francisco Examiner. 1922-04-02. p. 27. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Radio Pinch Hits for Orchestra". Popular Mechanics: 299. August 1924.
  15. ^ Dietz, Dan (2019-04-10). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-1-5381-1282-3.
  16. ^ Grant, Richard Southall (June 15, 1926). "In Broadway's Newest Revue". The Spur. 37: 79.
  17. ^ "Kings Honor Her". San Pedro Daily News. January 16, 1928. p. 10. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  18. ^ Terral, Rufus (1937-04-04). "Capacity Audience Applauds Dancers". Chattanooga Daily Times. p. 30. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "To Dance Here Tonight". Great Falls Tribune. 1938-04-28. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "International Dances--Fowler and Tamara to Give Program Feb. 3". The Times and Democrat. 1938-01-27. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Florenz Tamara and her Pet Poms". The Birmingham News. 1933-07-16. p. 31. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Dog Weighs a Pound and a Half". Oakland Tribune. p. 8. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  23. ^ "Dancer Makes Purchase at Morgan's Furniture Store". The Boston Globe. 1935-05-11. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  24. ^ Roman, Seymour (1935-07-01). "The Current Cinema". Times Union. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Tamara Bad, Fowler Foul, Dance Worse". Stanford Daily. April 6, 1938. p. 4. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Jack Fowler, Famed as Dancer with Tamara, Dies at 67". The Boston Globe. 1957-03-10. p. 61. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Residents of Granogue Guests at Sea Island, Ga". The News Journal. 1942-10-14. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Fowler-Tamara". The Record-Argus. 1930-04-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-09-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "'Jack' Fowler, 67; Dance Creator". The Berkshire Eagle. 1957-03-11. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Addison Fowler". The Courier-News. 1957-03-11. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Seagraves, Anne (1991). Women who charmed the West. Internet Archive. Lakeport, Calif. : WESANNE Publications. pp. 158–161. ISBN 978-0-9619088-2-9.

External links edit

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