Josephine Baker Debuts in Paris, Introduces 'Danse Sauvage'

On October 2, 1925, Josephine Baker made her Paris debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 'La Revue Nègre,' introducing her 'danse sauvage' to French audiences and becoming an overnight sensation. The St. Louis-born performer found in France the freedom denied her in Jim Crow America, becoming one of the most celebrated entertainers in the world and a symbol of the African American expatriate community in Europe.