Dorothy Toy and Paul Wing
Plot 72
If you had asked Dorothy Toy late in life how she’d like to be remembered, she might have simply said, “as a dancer.” But what she accomplished—alongside her stage partner Paul Wing—was far more than dance. Together, the duo known as Toy & Wing broke racial barriers, dazzled audiences across America, and paved the way for Asian American artists on the national stage.
Dorothy Toy was born Shigeko Takahashi in San Francisco on May 28, 1917, to Japanese immigrant parents. When her family later moved to Los Angeles, they opened a small café near a vaudeville theater in Little Tokyo. There, young Dorothy caught the attention of a theater manager who noticed her dancing and encouraged formal lessons. She soon trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and even Cossack dance—an eclectic foundation that would define her versatile stage style.
Performing first with her sister Helen and Chinese American dancer Paul Wing Jew, the trio became known as The Three Mahjongs. When Helen pursued her own path, Dorothy and Paul continued as Toy & Wing—a sleek, high-energy dance act that combined precision tap with ballroom flair.
 |
| Dorothy Toy and Paul Wing |
By the mid-1930s, Toy & Wing were performing nationwide in vaudeville theaters, on Broadway stages, and in nightclubs. They appeared in films such as Deviled Ham and headlined at San Francisco’s legendary Forbidden City, the most famous of the “Chop Suey Circuit” nightclubs that showcased Asian American talent to mainstream audiences.
Promoters billed them as “The Chinese Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers”—a catchy, if inaccurate, label that ignored Dorothy’s Japanese heritage but reflected the racial marketing of the era. Their dancing, however, needed no gimmick. Toy & Wing’s routines blended tap, swing, and acrobatic lifts with dazzling synchronization, earning praise for both technical skill and charisma.
The outbreak of World War II changed everything. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Dorothy’s ancestry suddenly made her a target of suspicion. Her parents and relatives were sent to the Topaz internment camp in Utah under Executive Order 9066. Dorothy herself avoided incarceration because she was touring on the East Coast, but prejudice followed her. At least one rival performer “outed” her as Japanese, costing her film opportunities.
Meanwhile, Paul Wing was drafted into the U.S. Army and took part in the Normandy landings in 1944. The war temporarily ended their act, but they reunited in the postwar years and continued performing across the country, earning admiration for both their artistry and resilience.
In later decades, Dorothy settled in Oakland, California, where she transitioned from performer to teacher. She ran a studio in her Oakland home—known locally as Studio 653—where she taught ballet and tap to generations of young dancers. Even in her later years, she remained active in the Bay Area performing arts community, mentoring troupes like the Grant Avenue Follies, an Asian American dance ensemble that continues to honor her legacy.
 |
| Dorothy Toy's gravemarker |
Dorothy Toy passed away in Oakland on July 10, 2019, at the remarkable age of 102.
Dorothy Toy and Paul Wing hold a unique place in American entertainment history. They were among the first Asian Americans to be recognized nationally as serious dancers rather than exotic novelties. Their performances defied stereotypes and demonstrated that Asian Americans could command the same stages as their white contemporaries—on pure talent and artistry.
Dorothy’s papers, now archived at Stanford University, reveal a life of relentless creativity—filled with choreography notes, tour itineraries, and costume sketches. Her story has been preserved through documentaries like Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story (2017) and celebrated in retrospectives about the “Chop Suey Circuit.”
Sources: Encyclopedia Densho, Wikipedia, Smithsonian Magazine, Rafu Shimpo, StoryCorps, Stanford University Library, JoySauce, Asian American Theatre Revue.
No comments:
Post a Comment