February 7
Born Today:
Patsy Swayze
Patsy Swayze (1927-2013), mother of dancer/actor Patrick Swayze (1952-2009) began studying dance for therapy after being hit by a car. She studied ballet and jazz and later founded the Houston Jazz Ballet Company and taught classes at her self-named dance studio. Besides her son, she taught dancer Debbie Allen (1950-), actor Jaclyn Smith, and choreographer/dancer Tommy Tune (1939-). In 1980 she choreographed Urban Cowboy, starring John Travolta (1954-) and went on to choreograph several other films.
Also Born Today: Dancer/choreographer and composer Gasparo Angiolini (1731-1803) sought to combine theatrical elements into a pantomime-ballet and who challenged the claim that Jean-George Noverre (1727-1810) solely created the ballet d’action, dance performance using pantomime and expressive gesture that negated the need for dialogue. Soviet, and Russian ice dancer Irina Moiseeva (1925-2021) competed in the Olympics in the 1970s and early 1980s.