March 31
Born Today:
Christopher Walken
Known primarily as an actor who revels in creepy villain roles and for never having enough cowbell, Christopher Walken (1943-) trained as a dancer and performed in nightclubs while appearing in Broadway plays in the 1960s. He transitioned into film in the 1970s and performed a tap-dancing striptease in Hollywood musical Pennies from Heaven (1981), also starring Steve Martin (1945-). Walken also danced in the movies Puss in Boots (1988) and Hairspray (2007) and appeared dancing and flying in Fatboy Slim’s music video, Weapon of Choice (2001), which Walken helped choreograph.
Also Born Today: Empresario and visionary who directed the vanguard artistic collective, the original Ballets Russes dance company, from 1909-his death, Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) created a template for 20th century dance companies. Dancer Nataraja Ramakrishna (1923-2011) revived traditional Indian dance forms Perini Shivatandavam and Kuchipudi. Ballet dancer Istvan Rabovsky (1930-2020), along with his wife Nora Kovach (1931-2009) in 1953, became two of the first dancers to publicly defect from the Soviet Union. Ballroom dancer Paul Mercurio (1963-) is best known for starring in Baz Luhrmann’s dance movie Strictly Ballroom (1992).
-----
Broadway Premiere: Oklahoma! in 1943