July 5
Born Today:
Eliot Feld
Ballet choreographer Eliot Feld (1942-) danced in both the Broadway (1957) and movie versions of West Side Story (1961), and he performed in the very first production of The Nutcracker (1954), by George Balanchine (1904-1983). Feld danced with ABT before leaving to start his own ballet company, Eliot Feld Ballet (1973-2003) and he not only created works for his own company, but his choreography is in the repertories of the Joffrey Ballet, NYCB, and London Festival Ballet, among others. In 1978, Feld began the New Ballet School, a tuition-free ballet training program for children in New York public schools and in 1997, he merged his company with the school to create Ballet Tech - all in the service of creating dancers and providing ballet for everyone.
Also Born Today: Russian choreographer and founder of the Moscow National Academic Theatre of Dance (GZHEL) in 1988, Vladimir Mikhailovich Zakharo (1946-2013). Bollywood dancer Vinod Raj (1967-) is best known for creating moves in the movie Dance Raja Dance (1987) that went viral on YouTube and are used in the video game Grand Theft Auto III. Choreographer Travis Payne (1971-) is best known for choreographing This Is It (2009), the show Michael Jackson (1958-2009) was planning to open in London. Choreographer Chuck Klapow (1980-) is best known for co-choreographing the three High School Musical TV movies alongside Kenny Ortega (1950-), and commercials for Gap Kids and Old Navy.