American dancer, teacher and Guinness World Record holder, she was one of the four members of The Evans Family, a vaudeville family dance act in the mid-1900s. The Evans were the only complete American family in a war zone during World War II in the course of their performance tours of US military bases. The Evans family continued touring the USA through 1960, playing engagements in all major cities and making television appearances.
Her father, Evan E. Evans, began dancing as a child in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1910, Evan married Helen Hartz, a fellow vaudeville circuit dancer. The married couple toured together and continued to tour following the birth of their first child, Maryetta Evans, in 1912, then settled back in Pittsburgh around the time of the birth of their second child, Lester Evans. Evan and Helen operated a dance studio in Homestead, and Maryetta and Lester were educated in Pittsburgh. Maryetta went on to study at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and Lester at University of Pittsburgh. The family developed their new touring act and took to the stage as “Four Evans: Two Generations of Dance.”
In 1942, The Evans Family were scouted by the United Service Organizations (USO) to perform at American military service locations. Between 1942 and 1953, the Four Evans completed USO tours of Europe, Africa, Japan, Korea, Greenland, and the United States. The Evans performed in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and escaped Belgium with Pennsylvania’s 28th Division. Between 1946 and 1960, the Four Evans danced in major cities throughout the United States and played extended engagements at New York’s Paramount Theatre.
In 1974, Lester and Maryetta appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In the 1980s, Lester and Maryetta Evans toured again as “The Four Evans,” with younger Evans family members. After Lester Evans died in 1989, Maryetta moved to Florida, where she continued to dance and instruct. In the late 1990s, while living in Palm Springs, Florida, Maryetta danced with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. In 1999, The Guinness Book of World Records named her the World’s Oldest Professional Show Dancer at age 86. Maryetta Evans died on 4 January 2009 at age 96.
Link to Wikipedia biography