January 10
Born Today:
Ray Bolger
The performance of wobbly-legged dancer Ray Bolger (1904-1987) as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a masterpiece of bonelessness and comedic physicality - you forget he is dancing and wonder where his skeleton went. He was in his mid-thirties in the movie and I think he could teach a thing or two to today’s young hip hop dancers.
Also Born Today: Japanese ballet dancer Mikiko Matsuyama (1923-2021) is best known for adapting a Chinese film, The White-Haired Girl into a ballet in 1955, and she continued to promote Chinese-Japanese cultural exchange throughout her career. Ballet dancer Ludmilla Chiriaeff (1924-1996) escaped a Nazi labor camp and later founded the troupe that became Les Grand Ballets Canadiens. Rosella Hightower (1920-2008 - Choctaw Nation) who was one of the Five Moons, a group of Native American ballerinas honored for their artistry in the 20th century. Postmodern dancer who performed with Merce Cunningham’s company, Remy Charlip (1929-2012) later wrote children’s books.
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Broadway Premiere: Finian's Rainbow in 1947