Eugene van Grona

Eugene Von Grona, (January 23, 1908 – March 29, 2000) was a German professional dancer and choreographer. He was born in Berlin as Eugen Pressner. As a child he visited the United States quite frequently, where he became enamored with the cakewalk and minstrel shows. By the 1920s, after completing his studies under Mary Wigman, von Grona finally made his move to the United States with his wife Leni Bouvier (born Leni Cohen, Bonn, November 15, 1905; died Berlin, January 2, 1994). Both dancers, they were fascinated by the new artistic innovations of the Harlem Renaissance. He enjoyed the sounds of Duke Ellington and other ragtime favorites. In 1930, Von Grona arranged the dance, "Mechanical Ballet," for the Broadway musical, Fine and Dandy. Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times said, "the most stunning dance number is a mechanical ballet, which is quite the most vivid of its kind."

It was in 1934 that von Grona and his wife (billed as Leni Bouvier) appeared as themselves in a film short for Vitaphone, whose studios were located in Brooklyn, New York. The film starred Lillian Roth and was released April 7, 1934 as Story Conference (1934). "Since von Grona's career was focused on the stage and recital hall, it is fortunate that this film exists of him and his wife.".

In 1935, he began dancing and directing ballets at the Roxy Theatre.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 23, 1908, Died March 29, 2000

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1931

Roles Represented in DAHR: performer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor CRC-53060 12-in. 4/24/1931 Sound effect record : Spirit of labor Eugene van Grona Sound effects, with traps sextet performer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Grona, Eugene van," accessed April 17, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107735.

Grona, Eugene van. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107735.

"Grona, Eugene van." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 17 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107735

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