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Florenz Tamara

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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

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.

Early life

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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

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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

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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

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  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.
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