Harriet Browne (dancer)

Browne died on September 1, 1997 at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Although her exact cause of death was not revealed, it is known that she suffered from muscle spasms and psoriasis for many years before her death.

While working towards a certification from Dance Educators of America, Browne worked as a tap teacher at the Bronx Dance Theater. She devised the syllabus for the Theater's tap program. With this experience, she went on to form her own dance studio, the Aristaccato Tap Company in the early 1990s. The company focused on teaching jazz and tap dance to underprivileged youths in the Bronx.

She began teaching at the Bronx Dance Theatre during the 1970s. She opened her own studio during the 1980s and founded the Aristaccato Tap Company. Browne specialized in sanding. She appeared on stage with performers such as Flip Wilson, Betty Carter, Dinah Washington, Della Reese, T-Bone Walker, Sister Sledge and The Pointer Sisters. She performed with tap dancers including Bunny Briggs, Charles Cook, James "Buster" Brown and The Silver Belles.

She married Edward Browne during the 1970s. Browne died at the age of 65 in Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. In 2016, she was named to the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame.

Browne took a 15-year break from dancing around the 1960s to mid-1970s. It wasn't until Barbara Klien, the artistic director of the Bronx Dance Theater, heard about Browne from a student that she encouraged Browne to take up dancing again.

In the early 1950s, Browne left Chicago to pursue chorus line dancing in New York City. As many nightclubs only hired white dancers, it was difficult for Browne to find consistent work. However, she did perform in the chorus lines at Club Savannah in Greenwich Village.

Harriet "Quicksand" Browne (August 7, 1932 – September 1, 1997) was an American tap dancer, educator and choreographer who was best known for her innovation in sanding. Browne got a job dancing in the chorus but shortly afterwards got pregnant and had a son, which put a temporary stop to her dancing career. After the birth of her son, she resumed dancing as a soloist and as a member of the chorus in clubs around Chicago. During the 1950s, she toured with Cab Calloway's band. After she got a job in the chorus at a club in Greenwich Village, although she continued to tour, she settled in New York City.