Briefly passing through England, but leaving a monumental legacy behind, Aida Overton Walker was a dancer and actress of African American heritage. Building dance repertoires such as the cakewalk and Salomania, she also influenced the conditions and roles of Black women in performance in England and United States of America. She was a performer of cakewalk, a plantation dance of the slaves and brought it to the Buckingham Palace in 1903, during her company’s tour where she taught the dance to the English elites making it a popular entertainment and social dance. She was also a choreographer and singer in vaudeville and musical theatre, and comedienne who cross-dressed in performances. Aida played a significant role in the emergence and expression of black performance arts in Harlem Renaissance and early 20th century Britain.
