July 21
Born Today:
Donald Byrd
Choreographer and accomplished flautist, Donald Byrd (1949-) decided to pursue dance while pursuing a degree in theatre. Inspired by the Alvin Ailey modern dance company, he began to study dance in earnest - at the Ailey School, the London Centre for Contemporary Dance, and with ballet teacher Mia Slavenska (1916-2002). He performed with Twyla Tharp (1941-) and Gus Solomons (1940-) before founding Donald Byrd/The Group in 1978. Financial issues forced him to disband his company in 2002, and he took over artistic direction for Spectrum Dance Theatre in Seattle that same year. He has continued to produce socially-conscious works including Shot (2017) and Greenwood (2019), a piece about the destruction of the Greenwood District in Tulsa nearly 100 years prior.
Also Born Today: Choreographer of the first ballet to tell a story with dance, gesture, and music, John Weaver (1673-1760) produced The Loves of Mars and Venus in 1717. Publicity agent for modern dance, Isadora Bennett (1900-1980) helped to establish modern dance as a presence in the art world and she represented Martha Graham (1894-1991) and José Limón (1908-1972), among others.
------
Movie: Stormy Weather released in 1943