While the a baby she received moving classes regarding a good Mrs. Thorp in midtown New york. As much as 1897, immediately following graduating off Thorp’s dancing college or university, she toured briefly that have Black colored Patti’s Troubadours. A beneficial girlfriend welcome their unique to help you design to possess an advertisement that have Bert Williams and you will George Walker, who’d just scored a knock inside their vaudeville debut in the Koster and you may Bial’s Tunes Hallway. She offered to design toward advertisement and you will then joined the brand new men to help you dancing on the cakewalk finale. Immediately after signing up for John W. Isham’s Octoroon, a great critic toward Indianapolis Freeman proclaimed, « I had simply seen ideal girl performer. » With Elegance Halliday she designed the sis dance operate off Overton and you will Halliday. It did because set of Honolulu Belles from the Williams and you can Walkers’ The insurance policy People (1899), and you will from there, Overton started to develop as a great soloist with additional substantial opportunities. About audio comedy The newest Sons out-of Ham (1900) she sang and you may danced « Skip Hannah out-of Savannah » and you will « Top Lady »; plus in its 2nd release, « Society » and you can « Gleaming Ruby » and that put their own jubilant recognition. James Weldon Johnson had written you to she « got a minimal-pitched voice with an organic sob so you’re able to it, which she know ovatko benaughtyin tytГ¶t aitoja? the way you use which have telling impression within the placing over a track » (Johnson 1933). Tom Fletcher recalled their own just like the a musician exactly who did ragtime songs and ballads as well; so when a performer « which you will perform almost everything, and no number if this try buck-and-wing, cakewalk, otherwise some sort of grotesque dancing . . . she borrowed the latest results a nice gracefulness of motion unparalleled of the anyone » (Fletcher 1954).

In the 1910, she registered the brand new Wise Place, a black colored theatrical organization, and you may appeared in His Honor the latest Barber (1911)

Towards Summer 22, 1899, after the closure out-of A happy Coon, the latest ragtime musical discussed by Ann Charters while the « a hodge-podge of the things regarding the ‘coon’ line regarding buck-dance and you will ragtime tunes to help you selections about huge opera, » Overton hitched George Walker; their union would alter and you may intensify the brand new cakewalk of a center African-American someone dancing for the a black modernist term, a high art really worth becoming did in advance of royalty, towards the white elite group, and on the fresh new concert phase.

One nights if you find yourself onstage, George Walker, to play this new part of Bud Jenkins, became unwell

Williams and you will Walker’s Dahomey (1903) was one of the first black musicals to discover the new cakewalk’s sales. With it, Aida (she altered the latest spelling of their own label of Ada to Aida, the name of your Haitian lwa off virility) starred Rosetta Lightfoot which have a featured solo, « I wish to Feel a bona-fide Lady, » additionally the « Cakewalk Finale, » hitched by their particular partner. « This new range, this new elegance, the fresh hoping euphoria of those dancers, which curved more backwards until its thoughts nearly handled the ground, a feat requiring an amazing level of power, the enthusiastic prancing, nearly within the slow motion, haven’t already been equaled in this revel, not to mention exceeded, » typed Carl Van Vechten (Van Vechten 1974). Dahomey was taken to London area, where it actually was demonstrated at a demand abilities just before Queen Edward VII within Buckingham Castle. British high society used the Royal Family relations having a great pouring love to possess cakewalking. The organization returned to Nyc with a brand new brand of the fresh new musical entitled When you look at the Dahomey, and therefore unsealed at Grand Opera (1904).

In Williams and you may Walker’s 2nd tell you, Abyssinia (1906), Overton Walker was one another a performer in addition to show’s choreographer. She was next searched within the and staged the fresh new audio quantity having Bandanna Land (1908). Their attacks have been later on recognized given that syphilis. Within the 1909 the guy leftover the latest inform you, along with his character is actually rewritten to own Overton Walker, who donned his showy gowns and you may performed their numbers, plus their big tune, « Bon bon Buddie. » With her husband’s status slow breaking down, and you can up against where their unique upcoming lay, she chose not to renew their particular offer which have Williams and you can Walker and you will instead joined new cast away from Bob Cole and you can J. Rosamonde Johnson’s The new Purple Moonlight (1909) in which she was checked in two tunes amounts: « Pheobe Brownish » and you will « Pickaninny Months, » dancing buck-and-wing with the chorus. She 2nd opened on The fresh York’s Western Theatre with a vaudeville act featuring a special dancing, the fresh « Kara Kara, » otherwise dance l’Afrique.