February 29
Born Today:
Rukmini Devi
Bharatanatyam dancer Rukmini Devi (1904-1986) is credited with reviving the dance form practiced by temple Devadasis and popularizing the art form around the world. Devi became friends with ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) in the late 1920s after working with traditional dancer Uday Shankar (1900-1977), and it was Pavlova who encouraged Devi to explore traditional Indian dance. Devi altered the original dance, called sadhir, removing the erotic elements and renamed it Bharatanatyam. She introduced the new form to scholars, writers, and performers, who supported the adoption of the dance form in 20th century India.
Also Born Today: Not much is known about dancer Eva Marie Veigel (1724-1822) except that she married famed actor David Garrick and retired from dancing shortly afterwards. Dancer James Mitchell (1920-2010) is best known for dancing the ‘dream ballet’ role of Curley in the movie version of Oklahoma! (1955). He later became well-known for his longtime role as Palmer Cortlandt from 1979-2010 on the soap opera All My Children. Burlesque performer Tempest Storm (1928-2021) appeared in several movies in the 1950s and danced for many years at the El Rey Theatre in Oakland, CA, before retiring in 1995 at the age of 67.