Ethel Bruneau : Montreal's Rhythm Tap Legend

Ethel Mae Waterman (1936-2023) arrived in Montreal from Harlem, New York, in 1953 when she was seventeen years old as part of the Cab Calloway Revue, already an experienced entertainer. Montreal at this time had an international reputation for its thriving nightlife and jazz scene, with (according to Ms. Waterman) 980 clubs on St. Catherine Street alone. Ms. Waterman was soon employed as a singer and tap dancer in such clubs as Rockhead's Paradise, on the corner of St. Antoine and Mountain. She was called "Miss Swing" and "The Queen of Afro-Cuban." She stayed in Montreal, marrying Henri "Ti-Rouge" Bruneau, and performing into the early 1970s. With a degree in Early Childhood Education from McGill University, she began to teach tap danse to children, eventually opening the Ethel Bruneau Dance Studio.

Dance Collection Danse

No. 71

Fall 2011

28-33

en