Booker, Elma Moore (d. 1998)
Dates
- Existence: d. 1998
Biographical Note
Elma Moore Booker was a lifelong resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, and became the first Creole to teach dance to minorities. Booker was the daughter of Marie Kinler Moore and Frank Moore III; she was married to Joseph Earl Booker. She was the first African American to receive her Louisiana Dancing Teacher's Certificate in 1934 after she completed training from the Mildred Kohlman Studio of Dance. In the late 1920s, she opened her own dance studio where she taught ballet, tap, acrobatics, ballroom, and other American popular dances. Elma Moore Booker's dance recital in 1934 was the first of many shows to receive praise from local audiences and newspapers for the talent and skill of the young performers. Some of her students went on to become professional dancers; Sylvia Hayden, one of Booker's pupils, opened her own dance studio. Booker's niece, Sybil Kein, attended Booker's school of dance and later became an instructor. Elma Moore Booker ended her teaching career in the late 1970s. She died on April 8, 1998, at 88 years old.