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Chuck Rudolph Davis is one of the foremost teachers and choreographers of traditional African dance in America. Born on New Year's Day, January 1,1937 in Raleigh, North Carolina to Ethel and Tony Davis; sponsors of 17 children from Africa. Davis is a dancer, choreographer, and dance director.

Eductaion
- Graduated from J.W. High school in Raleigh. - He served 2 years in the Navy, receiving nursing training at George Washington University Hospital - Went to New York to study dance (1958) - Attended Howard University (1962-68), majoring in Theatre and Dance

The Start
Davis career goal was to get a nursing degree and afterwards teach nursing. He soon found work in the Washington D.C. area for a local hospital. After a day of work, Davis would go to D.C. clubs and dance to the music of performers like Roland Kave and the Latin-American All-Stars, a Afro-Cuban group. Dancing became a passion to him and eventually he decided to take up a dance class at a local dance studio. Because of his height, 6'6, he would half way do the dance moves. His arms and hands always seemed to hit the ceiling. Davis then met Jeffery holder, a professional dancer who taught master dance at a local dance studio. Holder was 6'8. Two inches taller than Davis himself. Holder told Davis to never shrink into himself but to use his long arms and legs to his advantage.

In 1964, at the World's Fair in New York, Davis saw a performance of the Sierra Leone National Dance Company. He became interested in African dance and, he resolved that he would visit Africa one day. Also, around this time, Davis met Owen Dodson, director of the Theater Department at Howard University. Dodson encouraged him to enroll in the Theater and Dance Program at Howard. Davis's career goals began to shift: he started to consider a career in dance as an alternate to a career in medicine. In his view, dancing was an affirmation of life, if not life itself. He told Contemporary Black Biography that he began to see the study of medicine as the study of healing and to see the study of dance as the study of health.( Rory Donnelly )

Life of Dancing

 * Babatunde Olatunji’s Dance Co, dancer
 * Eleo Pomare’s Dance Troupe, dancer
 * Bernice Johnson Dance Co, dancer
 * Chuck Davis Dance Co, founder, 1967
 * Am Dance Festival, Durham, artist-in-residence
 * Danceafrica, founder
 * African Am Dance Ensemble, founder & artistic dir, 1984- ?
 * Moments Black Inc
 * Am Dance Festival, Balasaraswati Joy Ann Dewey Endowed Chair, 2006
 * Cult Arts Safari, founder & facilitator
 * Orgs: Nat Asn Ad- van Colored People
 * BD mem, Int Asn Blacks Dance
 * NC Arts Coun, 1991
 * Brooklyn Acad Music, Brooklyn
 * Nat Endowment Arts
 * Honorary Doctorate Fine Arts, Medgar Evers Col, 1998

Reference

 * BAM- Chuck Davis
 * bing- Chuck Davis Choreography