March 18
Born Today:
Mahmoud Reda
Egyptian dancer Mahmoud Reda (1930-) was inspired by Golden Age Hollywood musicals and trained as a gymnast, representing Egypt in the 1952 Olympics. He toured internationally with an Argentinian dance group before returning to Egypt to found the folk dance-based Reda Troupe in 1959. Their popularity grew beyond Cairo after appearances in several films in the 1960s and Reda continued dancing with the troupe until 1972, when he devoted himself to choreography. The company toured internationally and under his direction grew to 150 dancers and musicians.
Also Born Today: As a youngster, ballerina Tatjana Gsovsky (1901-1993) studied at the Isadora Duncan school in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was later ballet mistress at several companies including the Berlin State Opera. Her choreography combined influences from ballet and German modern dance. Choreographer Bonnie Story (1959-) is best known for her work on the trio of High School Musical movies, televised in 2006-2008.