Dancers Lost in 2021

January

10 — Ballerina Charlene Gehm MacDougal (born December 14, 1951) — danced lead roles with the Joffrey Ballet from 1976–1991, and on Broadway in a revival of West Side Story and the original Phantom of the Opera (1988).

13 — American-born contemporary dance choreographer Robert Cohan (born March 27, 1925) founded professional studio, The Place, in London, and directed the London Contemporary Dance Theatre for 20 years, beginning in 1969.

15 — North Carolina-based ballroom dance instructor and founder of Roland’s Dance Studio, Roland Bersch (born 1930), died from COVID.

16 — Tango dancer Juan Carlos Copes (born May 31, 1931) partnered with Maria Nieves (1934-) and appeared in Tango Argentino (1985) on Broadway, and died from COVID.

18 — Former Captain of the Florida Atlantic University dance team, Victoria Strauss (born 1998?).

21 — Broadway choreographer Bob Avian (born December 26, 1937) co-created the dances for shows such as A Chorus Line (1975), staged Miss Saigon (1991) and produced other hits such as Dreamgirls (1981).

22 — Norwegian ballet dancer/choreographer Jorunn Kirkenær (born May 4, 1926) performed in the 1940s and 1950s and founded a school in 1966.

31 — Canadian dancer/choreographer Pierre-Paul Savoie (born January 14, 1955) founded PPS Danse in Montreal.

February

4 — Indian Kathakali dancer Mathoor Govindan Kutty (born October 5, 1940) specialized in portraying female characters for six decades.

9 — Brazilian dancer/actress Marilena Ansaldi (born November 4, 1934) was a former ballerina and pioneer of dance theatre in South America and appeared in several films in Brazil.

10 — Irish-born contemporary dancer Emma O’Kane (born circa 1977) was a member of CoisCéim Dance Theatre in Dublin for two decades.

24 — Balinese dancer and doctor Bulantrisna Djelantik (born September 8, 1947) specialized in traditional Legong dance and was also an ENT physician and lecturer at Padjadjaran University in West Java.

25 — Dancer/choreographer Babachu Spriggs (born Robert Spriggs, circa 1939) was known in Columbus, OH as ‘dancing guy’ and attended ComFest at the Goodale Park every year.

26 — Choreographer Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros (born March 6, 1957) was the resident choreographer with the Miami City Ballet from 1985–2000 and ran Ballet Gamonet in Miami for five years before returning to his native Peru to choreograph for the National Ballet of Peru. Gamonet died of COVID.

27 — Spanish flamenco dancer Teresa Torkanowsky (born August 9, 1926) toured with Carmen Amaya (1913–1963) in the 1940s and Luis Olivares (d. 2020) as well as with her own company. Torkanowsky was instrumental in bringing flamenco to New Orleans and founding the dance program at the University of Maine.

March

5 — Ballet dancer Patrick Dupond (born March 14, 1959) performed with the Paris Opera Ballet and later directed the company.

British ice dancer and coach Janet Sawbridge (born 1947) won medals in the World Figure Skating Championships in the 1960s and famously paired Torvill and Dean for the 1984 Olympic Games.

12 — Alena Přetáková (born May 28, 1936) was a Czechoslovakian pedagogue, ethnographer, dancer and choreographer

17 — Contemporary experimental dancer/teacher Manfred Fischbeck co-founded and co-directed Group Motion Multimedia Dance Theatre in Philadelphia, innovating and inspiring dancers since 1970.

20 — Russian choreographer/dancer Vladimir Kirsanov (born August 13, 1947) is best known for choreographing the Academy Award-winning film Burnt by the Sun (1994). He died of COVID.

23 — Hungarian choreographer and ballet teacher Ágnes Roboz (June 18, 1926) led folk dance groups in the 1950s and was a founding teacher at the Hungarian Dance Academy before joining the Royal Ballet teaching staff.

April

2 — Ballet dancer and recent University of Iowa graduate, Senéad Short (born circa 1996) was on a Fulbright Assistantship Award in Taiwan, teaching English and dance.

7 — Not much information is available about Ukrainian dancer/choreographer Remziye Tarsinova (born December 9, 1926), but she was also a ballet master.

8 — Spanish singer and dancer Sagrario Aranburu Olasagarre (17 April 1930–8 April 2021) is best known for performing with a group called Duguna.

Brazilian dancer/choreographer Ismael Ivo (born January 17, 1955) danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and directed the Biennale Danza in Venice — he died of COVID.

Legendary twist and vogue dancer Boogie Revlon Makaveli (born circa 1985) founded the House of Makaveli.

10 — Broadway dancer Susanne Carmina Cansino (born April 21, 1930) and first cousin to movie musical star Rita Hayworth (1918–1987), was the last surviving member of the Dancing Cansinos.

16 — Choreographer Liam Scarlett (born April 8, 1986) was a artist in residence with the Royal Ballet and created works for dance companies such as Ballet Black, BalletBoyz, English National Ballet, and the New Zealand Ballet, among many others.

20 — Burlesque performer Tempest Storm (born February 29, 1928) appeared in several movies in the 1950s and danced for many years at the El Rey Theatre in Oakland, CA, retiring in 1995 at the age of 67.

21 — Soviet, and Russian ice dancer Irina Moiseeva (born February 7, 1925) competed in the Olympics in the 1970s and early 1980s.

24 — Spanish flamenco dancer Carmen Salazar Vargas, known as La Camboria (born May 4, 1931) toured Europe and befriended writer Agatha Christie. Vargas died from COVID.

26 — Ballet patron Nancy Lassalle (born November 10, 1927) helped George Balanchine (1904–1983) to found the Ballet Society in 1946, serving as President. She also served as a founding board member for the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet.

29 — Austrian ballet dancer Edeltraud Brexner (born June 12, 1927) joined the Vienna State Opera Ballet in 1944 and later served on the faculty.

May

2 — Ballet dancer Jacques D’Amboise (born July 28, 1934) performed with the NYCB beginning in 1949, appeared in movie musicals such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and founded the National Dance Institute in 1976, an organization dedicated to teaching dance to underserved children.

5 — Folk dancer Ron Smedley (born June 22, 1928) directed London Folk, a successful dance company that performed in local and international festivals, he taught folk dance at the Royal Ballet School and was a TV producer at the BBC.

6 — Dancer Debora Chase-Hicks (born December 23, 1957) performed with both Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and was the rehearsal director at Philadanco for the remainder of her career. She was instrumental in preserving some of the work of choreographer Talley Beatty (1918–1995).

7 — Ballerina NaTalia Johnson (born November 20, 1983) danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Debbie Allen (1950-) and many other entertainers, retiring in 2013 to found the Natalia Johnson Conservatory of Ballet in Sacramento, CA.

12 — Ballet teacher Bella Malinka Dall (born October 5, 1922) taught at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts from 1949 to 1981 and served as artistic adviser for Heidi Latsky Dance.

Brazilian actor and ballet dancer Iolanda Braga (born October 11, 1941) performed on multiple TV dance shows in the 1960s and went on to be the first black female actor to star in a Brazilian soap opera.

14 — German choreographer and filmmaker Raimund Hoghe (born May 12, 1949) served as the dramaturg for Pina Bausch (1940–2009) from 1980–1990 and began creating his own work, inspired by Bausch.

16 — Choreographer and co-founder of Grupo Krapp in 1998, Luis Biasotto (born circa 1972) created many works, including Mendiolaza (2004) and his last collaboration, How to Stay in a Dream, was conceived as an online performance. He died from COVID.

18 — Modern dancer/educator Helene Breazeale (born circa 1938) performed with the Limón company and on Broadway before chairing the dance department at Towson University, creating several student performing groups and a dance major.

22 — Japanese ballet dancer Mikiko Matsuyama (born January 10, 1923) is best known for adapting a Chinese film, The White-Haired Girl into a ballet in 1955, and continued to promote Chinese-Japanese cultural exchange throughout her career.

26 — Dance iconoclast and choreographer Anna Halprin (born July 13,1920) studied with the pioneers of modern dance in New York in the 1940s and relocated to California after WWII, founding her own performing group and creating her own teaching methods that inspired the generation of post-modern choreographers in the 1960s.

Italian ballerina Luciana Novaro (born March 3, 1923) performed at La Scala between 1941–1956 and choreographed for the Vienna State Opera and briefly directed La Scala Ballet Company in the 1960s.

27 — Italian ballerina Carla Fracci (born August 20, 1936) is best known for her performance in Romantic-era ballets including Giselle (1841), pursued a freelance career in the 1960s and directed numerous Italian ballet companies following her retirement from the stage.

Russian ballerina Violetta Elvin (born November 3, 1923) danced with the Bolshoi Ballet before joining the Royal Ballet in 1945, becoming the first Soviet ballerina to do so.

29 — Dance teacher Maria Giacobbe (born February 14, 192?) founded her school of dance in New Orleans in 1943, the Delta Festival Ballet in 1969, and the New Orleans Youth Ballet, influencing the development of generations of dancers.

June

4 — Armenian-born ballet dancer Vilen Galstyan (born February 12, 1941) appeared in more than sixty films and performed at the Bolshoi and with the Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he served as chief choreographer starting in 2013.

Choreographer Michael Matthew Ferrell created dances for Chanhassen, Minnesota-based professional dinner theatre — the largest one of its kind in the United States.

13 — Ukranian dancer/choreographer Grigoriy Chapkis (born February 24, 1930) performed with the Pavlo Virsky ensemble and was a judge for Dancing with the Stars starting in 2006. Chapkis died of COVID.

18 — Dance teacher June Finch (born June 13, 1940) produced work for her own company between 1977–1982, performed with Viola Farber (1931–1998) and taught the Cunningham Technique to several generations of modern dancers.

22 — Blackfeet dancer Joe Sam Scabby Robe (born June 7, 1959) was a champion Grass Dancer who performed internationally and at countless powwow gatherings and competitions and was dubbed the “man of 1,000 moves” for his creativity and versatility.

23 — Arts manager Sheldon Soffer (born August 20, 1927) sponsored and mentored dance companies such as Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Pilobolus, Parsons Dance, MOMIX, Boston, Ballet, and many others.

Sri Lankan dancer/choreographer Kulasiri Budawatta (born May 6, 1950) came from a family of traditional dancers and excelled in the Kandyan style. He founded his own school in 1986 following a world tour.

24 — Russian ballerina Olga Moiseyeva (born December 25, 1928) danced with the Kirov Ballet from the late 1940s until retiring from the stage to coach in 1973. She was also featured in the 2006 documentary Ballerina.

28 — Dancer, reporter, and editor of the Phoenix Gazette, Lois Boyles (born August 24, 1927) began her career as a ballet dancer, but after finding little professional success in New York, she took up journalism and continued dancing to jazz music.

July

3 — Journalist, reporter, and writer Ayesha K. Faines (born circa 1986) was also a competitive salsa dancer.

4 — Modern dancer Don Martin (born 1931) performed with Lester Horton (1906–1953) in the late 1940s and was an original member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Martin spent much of his career preserving the work and teachings of Horton.

5 — Italian singer/actor/dancer Raffaella Carrà (June 18, 1943) studied at the National Academy of dance in Rome and continued singing and dancing on TV shows in the 1970s.

7 — Ballet dancer Oleg Briansky (born on November 29, 1929) danced with Roland Petit (1924–2011) beginning in 1946 and with Festival Ballet in the early 1950s. A persistent knee injury led to the founding of the Briansky Saratoga Ballet Center summer school in 1965.

Dancer/actor Chick Vennera (born March 27, 1947) danced in the original production of Grease (1973) on Broadway and danced on top of a car in the movie Thank God it’s Friday (1978) before pursuing acting and voice acting roles.

11 — Dance ethnologist Allegra Fuller Snyder (born August 28, 1927) was a pioneer in the field and specialized in Native American dance, particularly the Yaqui, and she was a professor at UCLA.

25 — Ballet dancer Philip Chatfield (born December 2, 1927) performed with the Royal Ballet from 1943–1959 and retired from performing with his wife Rowena Jackson (born March 24, 1926) and relocated to New Zealand, later directing the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

27 — Irish dancer/actor Ray McBride (born circa 1952) won several All-Ireland medals for his dancing before deciding to pursue acting, later appearing in the film Angela’s Ashes (1999).

August — none

September

16 — Movie musical dancer/singer Jane Powell (born April 1, 1929) starred in 1940s and 1950s musicals such as Royal Wedding (1951) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), later appearing regularly on TV variety shows.

22 — ​​English ballet dancer turned photojournalist Colin Jones (born August 8, 1936) danced with the Royal Ballet in the early 1960s and picked up a camera during that time, documenting backstage dance life.

23 — Puerto Rican salsa musician and dancer Roberto Roena, (born January 16, 1940) won multiple talent contests for dance routines created for himself and his brother. He went on to play percussion and lead his own band, also performing with the Fania All Stars.

27 — Estonian dancer/choreographer Ülo Vilimaa (born March 13, 1941) performed with the Vanemuine Theatre from 1962–1974, later as ballet master from 1974–1997.

October

6 — Mexican actor/dancer Otilia Larrañaga (born November 3, 1931) made a name for herself as a dancer before moving to acting, appearing in films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema (1936–1956).

8 — Dancer Thomas F. Dwyer (born July 31, 1934) joined Liz Lerman’s Dance Exchange in his 50s in 1988, after retiring from the Department of State in the area of telecommunications. He performed with the modern dance company for more than 30 years.

12 — Scholar of African diasporic dance and teacher Kariamu Welsh (born September 22, 1949) earned a Doctorate of Arts in dance history and taught the African dance method of Umfundalai (translates to “essence”) at Temple University and was the artistic director of Kariamu & Company: Traditions.

19 — Norwegian choreographer Kjersti Alveberg (born July 26, 1948) studied ballet and worked in theatrical dance, later creating ballets for stage and TV productions.

23 — Indian actor/dancer Minoo Mumtaz (born April 26, 1942) grew up in a dance family and began performing as a child, working on the stage and in films of the 1950s and 1960s.

27 — Ballet dancer Wakefield Poole (born February 24, 1936) performed with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo starting in 1957 and appears in the 2005 Ballets Russes documentary.

November

4 — Dancer and TV personality Lionel Blair (born circa 1929) appeared on variety shows with his troupe in the 1960s and on films such as A Hard Day’s Night (1964).

8 — Originally from Cuba, Amalia Aguilar (born July 3, 1924) spent most of her career in Mexico, dancing in theatres, cabarets, and on film. She was invited to appear in the Hollywood film A Night at the Follies (1947), but declined to make any other films in the US.

10 — Indian choreographer Cool Jayanth created choreography for many films in the Tamil and Malayan film industries beginning in the 1990s. Jayanth was part of a small group of dance masters including choreographer Prabu Deva (born April 3, 1973).

25 — Choreographer Ronn Guidi founded the Oakland Ballet in 1965 and strove to have the company reflect the eclectic composition of his native Oakland and his company was the first to restage the works of Ballets Russes choreographer Bronislava Nijinska (1891–1972).

28 — Choreographer K. Sivasankar (born December 7, 1948) created dances for Telugu and Tamil cinema beginning in 1975, specializing in dances for female dance stars. His credits include over 800 films and he died of COVID.

29 — Aboriginal dancer/actor David Gulpilil (born circa 1953) was a ceremonial dancer as a youth and was cast at the age of 16 in the movie Walkabout (1971), making him an international celebrity. He organized several dance troupes to perform in festivals and appeared in multiple Hollywood films including Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Australia (2008)

30 — Native American ballerina and sister of Maria Tallchief (1925–2013) Marjorie Tallchief (born October 19, 1926) was one of the Five Moons, Native American stars of ballet in the 1950s, Marjorie performed with the Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

December

3 — Professor of dance Kathleen Kerr (born November 8, 1947) taught folk dance at Oregon State University for 15 years and at the University of Northern Iowa for an additional 20, directing the UNI International Dance Theatre.

11 — Russian ballerina Galina Samsova (born March 14, 1937) danced with the Kiev Opera Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, and the London Festival Ballet from 1964–1973. She later directed the Scottish Ballet from 1991–1997.

12 — Choreographer Na-Ni Chen (born 1959) was trained in classic Bejing Opera style and danced with Cloud Gate Theatre, later choreographing contemporary work inspired by her Chinese heritage.

21 — Dancer Zhora Korolyov (born October 6, 1987) performed on the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars and appeared in films and on TV programs.