By Helen Regan
Alice Barker, now age 102, was a chorus-line dancer during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930s and ’40s and danced with legends including Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
She danced in many movies, commercials and TV shows but had never seen herself on film.
With the help of Mark Cantor of Jazz Film and David Shuff, researchers managed to dig up three “soundies” — the music videos of the day — that Barker appeared in and were able to go to her nursing home and show her the incredible footage for the very first time.
“It makes me wish I could get out of this bed and do it all over again,” she says.
Read next: Queen Elizabeth Turns 89 As She Awaits Fifth Great-Grandchild
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Cecily Strong on Goober the Clown
- Column: The Rise of America’s Broligarchy
Write to Helen Regan at helen.regan@timeasia.com