The Ziegfeld Follies were all the rage on Broadway during the 1920s. The shows were full of various forms of entertainment, from dance routines to musical numbers. The Follies, however, were mostly known for its stage performers being “the most beautiful women.” According to founder Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., the purpose of the Follies was to “glorify the American girl.” Caught up in the beauty and glory of the Follies was a young American dance choreographer, Russell Markert (1899–1990).
In 1922, about 30 years before Markert witnessed this show, John Tiller, a British musical theater director, formed a dancing troupe he called the Tiller Girls. Locked arm-in-arm, these female performers became the first precision dancers. By 1920, there were approximately 80 Tiller Girl troupes performing throughout the world, including on Broadway.
