Gross, Dorothy Bercu, 1917-2015
Biography
Naomi Dorothea (Dorothy) Bercu was born June 14, 1917 in Douglas, Wyoming. Her father George Bercu owned the Chicago Hide, Fur and Wool Company in Douglas and in Denver. He married Olive Mistachkin and the couple became parents of Dorothy (1917-2015), Harryette (1918), Robert (1919), Bernard (1921), and Berverly (1935). From 1925-1928, Dorothy and Harryette danced on the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit around the west. They were later joined by Bob and Bernard and the whole troupe performed from New York City to Juarez, Mexico. The sisters also danced from 1936 to 1939. Dorothy attended the University of Utah in Ogden, Utah beginning in 1930 at the age of sixteen. She started a theatrical booking agency in Salt Lake City and taught dancing. Dorothy married Norman Gross in 1941 after he had signed up for her dance class. They raised three children, Valerie (Schreiber), Gary, and Dennis in Dallas, Texas. She also taught fitness classes. She died in Dallas in 2015.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Bercu Sisters in Acrobatic Pose, between 1932-1933
The glossy photograph shows Harryette bent over backwards on the floor and Dorothy kneeling behind her. The Bercu Sisters was an act on the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit.
Bercu Sisters in "Native" Costumes, between 1933-1935
The Bercu sisters are on a stage with a backdrop. Dorothy is standing with her arms raised and Harryette is kneeling with her back arched so that he head is toward the audience. The Bercu sisters were vaudeville performers in the 1920s and 1930s.
Vaudeville Program of the Day, 1928
Newspaper "Program of the Day" for Vaudeville show that included "Bercu Sisters, World Famous Dancers and Contortionists." On the back of the page is an 1928 add for the Marmon car.