Dora Duby (October 9, 1901 – April 12, 1998), born Stephania Dubcich, was an American dancer on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, in London, and in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s.

Early life and education

Stephania Dubcich was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

(though some sources give

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

as her birthplace), the daughter of Stephen Dubcich (Duby) and Augusta D. Fraude Stevens. Her mother was born in Germany, and her father was born in Austria. She trained as a dancer with Luigi Albertieri. In mid-career, she also trained with

Mary Wigman Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann; 13 November 1886 – 18 September 1973) was a German dancer and choreographer who pioneered expressionist dance, dance therapy, and movement training without pointe shoes. She is considered on ...

in Berlin.

Career

Duby danced in San Francisco, and with

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...

's company, as a young woman. Her Broadway credits included roles in ''The Lady in Red'' (1919), ''Linger Longer Letty'' (1919–1920), ''The Midnight Rounders of 1921'', and ''Bombo'' (1921). In London, she danced in

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

s, and appeared in ''

The Whirl of the World ''The Whirl of the World'' is a musical revue in two acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and both book and lyrics by Harold Atteridge. The work also contained some additional songs by Harry Gifford and Fred Godfrey. The musical premiered on Broad ...

'' (1924) and ''Dolly's Revels'' (1924). In Paris she danced in

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

s at Club Daunou, Acacias, Ciro's, the

Casino de Paris The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement, is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not ...

, and Le Perroquet in the mid-1920s, including a stint as dance partner of

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

. In Europe she also danced in Venice, Vienna, Deauville, Biarritz, Monaco, Cannes, and Aix le Bains, and she toured in China, India, and South America. Duby also modeled gowns for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', and displayed her jewelry in ''

The Sketch ''The Sketch'' was a British illustrated weekly journal. It ran for 2,989 issues between 1 February 1893 and 17 June 1959. It was published by the Illustrated London News, Illustrated London News Company and was primarily a society magazine wit ...

''. Her dresses were described in detail in press reports in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1935, she was hired by the Mexican government to direct the Escuela Nacional de Danza in Mexico City.

Personal life

Duby

sued A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. T ...

millionaire Harold Grier in 1923, saying that he promised then failed to marry her. In 1924, she was rumored to have many wealthy suitors in Paris and Venice, including Ahmad Mirza. Her partner Ernest Van Duren died by suicide in 1930. She died in 1998, at the age of 96.

References

External links

*
A photograph of Dora Duby
by

James Abbe James Edward Abbe (July 17, 1883 – November 11, 1973) was an American photographer. Background James Edward Abbe was born in 1883 in Alfred, Maine. His career as an international photographer was first boosted by ''The Washington Post'', whic ...

, in the collection of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

A photograph of Dora Duby in Paris
by James Abbe, at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

* Gary Chapman
"Dancing Dora Duby"
''Jazz Age Club'' (April 27, 2010); a blogpost about Duby, with a lot of images. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duby, Dora 1901 births 1998 deaths American dancers