THE JUBA PROJECT
Featured Performers and Documents
Juba and the Ethiopian Serenaders in the UK: 1842-52
'Ethiopian Serenaders' was a name used by several troupes of influential early minstrel performers who toured Britain between 1846 and 1850, playing in saloons and castles, for the working classes and for Queen Victoria. They appear to have 'cleaned up' minstrelsy, making it safe for the middle classes; and they introduced the influential dancer Juba to a large audience. Juba was the only performer of colour in these early minstrel shows, and worth looking at for that reason alone. He was also quite possibly the most 'noticed' (that is, reviewed) dancer in Britain during the period of his brief career.
This section focuses narrowly on the travels of two different versions of The Ethiopian Serenaders. The sole consistent feature between then, besides the name, was the appearance and leadership of G. W. Pell, an influential clown and 'bones' player.
Use the navigation tools to the left of this page to access brief biographies of some of the Serenaders, information related to the venues in which they performed during this period, samples of the kind of music they performed, and a timeline detailing their travels using reviews and other primary sources.