July 18
Born Today:
Olga Spessivtseva
Russian ballerina Olga Spessivtseva (1895-1991), the one with the soulful eyes, looks much like The Beggar Maid from the famous painting by Edward Burne-Jones. To prepare for Giselle, one of her most famous roles, she visited insane asylums to study how the patients moved, and according to many, she truly inhabited the role of the betrayed lover. Spessivtzeva danced with the original Ballets Russes, the Paris Opera, and the Maryinsky Ballet before she retired from dancing in 1939.
Also Born Today: Progressive Geisha Sada Yacco (1871-1946) popularized Kabuki during world tours, with Yacco playing parts usually reserved for male actor/dancers and she also founded a school to train female actors. Actor/dancer Audrey Landers (1956-) is best known for playing Val in the movie version of A Chorus Line (1985-). Contemporary choreographer Ronald K. Brown (1966-) founded Evidence in 1985, a company that combines African dance and modern/contemporary dance. Tap dance master teacher Gregg Russell (1972-2020) co-founded Tap into the Network .
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Movies: Silk Stockings released in 1957, Star! released in 1968