April 9
Born Today:
Robert Helpmann
Without ballet dancer Robert Helpmann (1909-1986), the movie The Red Shoes (1948) would have been a lot less creepy. His nightmare-inducing role as a discarded newspaper dancing with red-haired ballerina Moira Shearer (1926-2006) lingers in the memory. Helpmann’s talent for acting translated into an eclectic career appearing on Broadway and in films in non-dance roles as well. He played the Child Catcher in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), further disturbing childhood dreams with another sinister performance.
Also Born Today: Impresario Sol Hurok (1888-1974), who managed the appearances of many dancers, including Isadora Duncan (1878-1927) and Katherine Dunham (1909-2006), and even managed the competing Ballet Russe companies in the 1930s. Bolshoi-trained ballerina Victorina Kriger (1893-1978) later lamented the limited roster of works presented by the company in the 1970s. Ballet dancer and revered instructor at the Royal Academy of Dance in the 1960s and 1970s, Keith Lester (1904-1993). Versatile choreographer Lar Lubovitch (1943-), whose work is danced by ballet and modern dance companies and who also staged Into the Woods (1989) on Broadway.