July 16
Born Today:
Ginger Rogers
Dancer/actor Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) is mentioned in a famous quote attributed to Texas politician Ann Richards - "After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” Indeed this is true for many of Rogers’ films, but one of the most entertaining dances she did with partner Fred Astaire (1899-1987) was I’m Putting All My Eggs in one Basket from the movie musical Follow the Fleet (1936) where they romp side by side. They appeared in ten movies together and she went on to act in dramatic films, winning an Academy Award for her performance in Kitty Foyle (1940).
Also Born Today: Dancer Sasa Machov (1903-1951) was the Artistic Director for the National Theatre Ballet in Prague from 1946-1951. Filipino tap dancer Bayani Casimiro, Sr. (1918-1989) was a star of bodabil (vaudeville) in the 1930s and 1940s, later appearing in musical films. Ballerina Patricia Wilde (1928-) performed with NYCB from 1950-1965 and later served as the artistic director for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Irish dancer Michael Flatley (1958-) developed and danced the lead male roles in Riverdance (1995-), Lord of the Dance (1996), and Feet of Flames (1998), breathing new life into the traditional dance style. Broadway and film dancer Denise Faye (1963-) performed on Broadway in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (1989) and is best known for her work with Rob Marshall (1960-) in the film versions of Chicago (2002) and Nine (2009), where she was the associate choreographer.