African dance master choreographer Chuck Davis dies at age 80
Chuck Davis, a master choreographer and teacher of traditional African dance styles who founded dance companies in North Carolina and New York, has died. He was 80.
Davis died Sunday at his home in Durham, said Dr. B. Angeloe Burch Sr., executive director of the African American Dance Ensemble, which Davis founded. Davis had been diagnosed with cancer about two years ago and had been treated, Burch said. He said the cause of death wasn’t known.
Davis founded the African American Dance Ensemble in 1983 and was founder and director of Dance Africa, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He also founded the Chuck Davis Dance Company in New York in 1968.