BRUCE ANTHONY DAVIS
March 4, 1959 - October 3, 2019
Bruce Anthony Davis made his Broadway debut in Bob Fosse’s
Dancin’
in which he appeared for three and a half years. He was also a featured principal dancer in Fosse’s
All That Jazz
,
Big Deal
, and
Chicago
for which he thanked Ann Reinking in the Playbill for “this wonderful opportunity”. Other Broadway credits in which this song-and-dance-man was featured include:
A Chorus Line
,
Song and Dance
,
The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club
, and
Damn Yankees
. Bruce was a principal in the international company of
Sophisticated Ladies
and he appeared Off-Broadway in
Carnival
and
Chicago
(Encores! Concert). Additionally, Bruce had numerous commercials to his credit.
Bruce was a native of Dayton, Ohio where he joined Theatre West, a local black theatre company under the direction of Clarence Young III, and performed at various colleges, universities and theatres on the East Coast. In 1973 Theatre West relocated permanently to the District of Colombia. When the School of the Arts at Western High School opened in 1974, Bruce and long-time friend Donald Smith auditioned for and were accepted to the Dance Department. The two friends were among the first all-Ellington graduates of the Class of 1977 when the school formerly became known as the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Bruce was voted the Best Male Dancer in his graduating class.
Fun Fact
: Bruce performed for President Carter three times while teaching Amy Carter at the historic and predominantly black public school, Thaddus Stevens Elementary School, in Washington, DC.
Funeral services for Bruce Anthony Davis will be held at H. H. Roberts Mortuary, 38 South Gettysburg Avenue, Dayton Ohio, 45417 on Thursday, October 10th at 10:00am.
Because of the challenges Bruce faced as a student artist attending Ellington, the
Bruce Anthony Davis Student Fund for Transportation and Meals
has been established. Please give generously in Bruce's memory to help student artists in need. And to ensure your donation gets to the right place, don't forget to write in "Bruce Anthony Davis Student Fund for Transportation and Meals" in the comment section of the donation page.
Yvette Heyliger, Representative DESA Founding Alumn
i
