March 20
Born Today:
Luigi
The story of jazz dance performer and revered teacher, Eugene Louis Faccuito, aka Luigi (1925-2015), is an inspiration. Grievously injured in a car accident, doctors assured him that the paralysis he experienced would end his dancing career. Undaunted, Luigi developed a series of stretches and a warm-up that stabilized his body, and in nine months he was able to return to class and soon afterwards, performing, where he was discovered in 1949 by a Hollywood talent scout. Gene Kelly (1904-1996) hired him as a dancer in several of his films, including On the Town (1949) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Luigi relocated to New York to dance in several productions and began refining and teaching his method for several decades.
Also Born Today: Dancer Leslie Cook (1953-) who appeared as a Solid Gold Dancer on the music countdown show and in movies including Breakin’ (1984) and A Chorus Line (1985). Contemporary dancer Stephen Petronio (1956-) became the first male dancer to perform with Trisha Brown (1936-2017) before forming his own company.
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Movie: Cover Girl released in 1944