Toy & Wing

Toy & Wing, c. 1942

Toy & Wing were an Asian-American tap dance duo. The duo were known as Dorothy Toy (real name Shigeko Takahashi, May 28, 1917 – July 10, 2019) and Paul Wing (real name Paul Wing Jew, October 14, 1912 – April 27, 1997).[1][2][3] They were known as the "Chinese Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers".[4]

They were active in the 1930s and 1940s. They were the first Asian-Americans to enter the American tap dance scene.[5]

Dorothy Toy was born on May 28, 1917 in San Francisco. She died on July 10, 2019 in Oakland, California at the age of 102.[6] Paul Wing was born in Menlo Park, California on October 14, 1912 and died on April 27, 1997 at the Veterans Home of California located in Yountville, California. He was 85 years old. [1]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "OBITUARY -- Paul Wing". SFGATE. May 2, 1997.
  2. ↑ Stephanie Barron; Sheri Bernstein; Ilene Susan Fort (2000). Reading California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000. University of California Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-520-22767-5.
  3. ↑ Valerie J. Matsumoto (2014). City Girls: The Nisei Social World in Los Angeles, 1920-1950. Oxford University Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-19-937703-9.
  4. ↑ Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. 2004. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
  5. ↑ Amy Gorman (2006). Aging Artfully: 12 Profiles : Visual & Performing Women Artists Aged 85-105. PAL Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-9785192-0-9.
  6. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (August 1, 2019). "Dorothy Toy, 102, Half of Asian-American Dance Team, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2019.