December 29
Born Today:
Gelsey Kirkland
Ballerina with the NYCB, Gelsey Kirkland (1952-) joined the company at the age of 15 and soon danced lead roles with Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948-) and others. Kirkland’s memoir, Dancing on My Grave (1986) chronicled her meteoric rise in the dance world, and the pressures and struggles that prompted her to leave the company. Her sister, Johnna Kirkland (1950-), pictured left, also danced with NYCB and retired from dancing in 1983.
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Movie: Flying Down to Rio released in 1933