As children she acquired dance training out of an excellent Mrs. Thorp in midtown Manhattan. To 1897, after graduating out-of Thorp's dance school, she toured temporarily that have Black colored Patti's Troubadours. A partner acceptance the woman to model to have a marketing having Bert Williams and you may George Walker, that has just obtained a bump inside their vaudeville first at Koster and you will Bial's Music Hall. She accessible to design on advertising and next joined the fresh new guys to help you dancing regarding cakewalk finale. Just after joining John W. Isham's Octoroon, a beneficial critic towards the Indianapolis Freeman announced, "I experienced simply noticed best girl performer." With Elegance Halliday she molded this new aunt dancing work from Overton and you can Halliday. It did because the set of Honolulu Belles throughout the Williams and you may Walkers' The insurance policy Professionals (1899), and you can following that, Overton started to develop because a good soloist with additional substantial jobs. Regarding songs funny New Sons regarding Ham (1900) she sang and you can danced "Skip Hannah away from Savannah" and you can "Best Females"; plus its second edition, "Society" and "Sparkling Ruby" hence brought the lady jubilant acclaim. Tom Fletcher recalled the lady since the an artist whom performed ragtime musical and you can ballads equally well; so when a performer "just who you certainly will perform almost everything, with no matter if this is dollars-and-wing, cakewalk, or even some type of grotesque moving . . . she lent the newest performance a nice gracefulness of motion unparalleled by anyone" (Fletcher 1954).

James Weldon Johnson penned one to she "had a minimal-pitched sound which have a natural sob to help you it, and that she realized strategies for having informing impression in getting more a tune" (Johnson 1933)

Into the June twenty two, 1899, following the closing of A happy Coon, the fresh new ragtime sounds explained by Ann Charters due to the fact "good hodge-podge of all things about 'coon' line out-of money-moving and you can ragtime tunes so you can choices on huge opera," Overton married George Walker; the partnership perform transform and you may escalate the fresh cakewalk out-of a center African-Western anyone dance into a black colored modernist phrase, a top art really worth getting performed ahead of royalty, towards the light elite group, and on the fresh concert stage.

One to evening when you're onstage, George Walker, to try out the newest character of Bud Jenkins, became ill

Williams and Walker's Dahomey (1903) is actually among the first black musicals to uncover the brand new cakewalk's conversion process. Inside, Aida (she changed the latest spelling out of the lady title out-of Ada in order to Aida, title of your Haitian lwa of virility) starred Rosetta Lightfoot having a highlighted solo, "I do want to Getting a genuine Women," and the "Cakewalk Finale," hitched because of the their husband. "The new range, the newest grace, the brand new hoping ecstasy of those dancers, who curved more backwards until their thoughts almost moved the floor, an accomplishment requiring a great level of power, its eager prancing, almost inside the slow motion, have never been equaled in this particular revel, not to mention exceeded," typed Carl Van Vechten (Van Vechten 1974). Dahomey was taken to London area, in which it actually was demonstrated in the a demand abilities in advance of Queen Edward VII on Buckingham Palace. British high-society implemented the Royal Members of the family having an excellent gushing desire to have cakewalking. The organization gone back to Nyc with a brand new style of the brand new sounds called Inside the Dahomey, hence started at Grand Opera (1904).

Into the Williams and you will Walker's 2nd let you know, Abyssinia (1906), Overton Walker is actually one another a dancer while the show's choreographer. She are next searched inside the and you can staged the brand new music number getting Bandanna Homes (1908). His periods have been later detected given that syphilis. Inside 1909 the guy remaining the fresh tell you, along with his part is rewritten to have Overton Walker, whom donned his fancy attire and you will performed their numbers, in addition to their major song, "Bon-bon Buddie." Together with her partner's condition reduced breaking down, and you will confronted with in amateur latin wife which the woman future put, she chosen to not ever renew her deal which have Williams and Walker and alternatively entered brand new cast away from Bob Cole and you will J. Rosamonde Johnson's The latest Purple Moon (1909) where she is seemed in 2 tunes wide variety: "Pheobe Brown" and you may "Pickaninny Days," moving buck-and-side on chorus. She second established at The newest York's Western Theatre with a beneficial vaudeville work presenting a different dancing, brand new "Kara Kara," or dance l'Afrique. When you look at the 1910, she registered the Wise Place, a black colored theatrical organization, and you will appeared in His Award the brand new Hairdresser (1911).