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 5 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 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.
Bercu Sisters in Shawls, between 1933-1935
Photograph (two copies) of the Bercu sisters standing with decorative shawls wrapped around them and wearing ballet flats. The Bercu sisters performed on the Orpheum Vaudville circuit in the 1920s and 1930s.
Dorothy Bercu in Modern Dance Costume, between 1928-1934
Dorothy Bercu is shown in a classical modern dance costume, barefoot, and is doing splits. Dorothy and her sister Harryette were vaudeville performers in the 1920s and 1930s.