December 22
Born Today:
Talley Beatty
Modern dancer/choreographer Talley Beatty (1918-1995) studied dance with Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) and performed on Broadway with her company in Cabin in the Sky (1940) and in the movie Stormy Weather (1943). Avant garde filmmaker Maya Deren (1917-1961) featured him in the groundbreaking short A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945), which you should watch right now. Most of his later career he worked as a solo dance act and he made over 50 dances for modern and ballet companies alike.
Also Born Today: French ballet dancer Lucien Petipa (1815-1898) was the brother of choreographer Marius Petipa (1818-1910) and created the role of Albrecht in the first production of Giselle (1841).