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 7 Collections and/or Records:
Bercu Gross Family Collection
The material in the collection includes items, photographs, and papers related to Dorothy Bercu Gross and her husband Norman Gross, her extended family, and her Vaudeville career in the 1920s and 1930s. Her father owned the Chicago Hide, Fur and Wool Company in Douglas, Wyoming and Denver, Colorado. The collection spans from the late 1800s to 2015 and illustrates an extended Jewish family and vaudeville performers.
Bercu Sisters at The Gold Palace, 1925
Photograph of the Bercu Sisters performing at the Gold Palace in Juarez, Mexico in 1925. Harryette Bercu is on the left wearing a tutu and Dorothy Bercu is wearing a costume with pants and a tall decorative helmet. Both girls are standing on their toes in ballet shoes. The sisters were part of the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit in the 1920s and 1930s.
Bercu Sisters Business Card, between 1925-1932
Business card of the Bercu Sisters: "Bercu Sisters Harryette and Dorothy, Toe and Acrobatic Dancers From the Orpheum Circuit.
Box 24, 1940-1997
The newspaper articles, photographs, objects and LP records illustrate the life of a Jewish family in the western United States. Some of the material is about Dorothy Bercu Gross who had been a Vaudville dancer and then was a fitness instructor. Her husband was a physician.
"Dancin' Feet", 1992
Newspaper article about 74 year old Dorothy Gross' exercise class.
New Year's Eve Frolic Menu and Program, 1934 December 31
New Year's Eve Frolic Menue and Program for the Hotel Ben Lomond in Ogden Utah. Dorothy and Harryette Bercu were dancers who performed on the Vaudeville circuit in the 1920s and 1930s. The cover is green and on the front is printed: "Happy New Year Hotel Ben Lomond New Year's Eve Frolic Menu and Program December 31 1934." There is a Dinner Dance Menu and the program which includes "Harryette and Dorthea Bercu, Acrobatic and Interpretive Soloists."
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.