May 1
Born Today:
May O’Donnell
Modern dancer May O’Donnell (1906-2004) began her studies at age 17 with Estelle Reed (1904-1996) and Michio Ito (1892-1961) in California before relocating to New York City and joining Martha Graham (1894-1991) from 1932-1938 and as a guest from 1944 to 1952. In between, she returned to California and danced with Gertrude Shurr (?-1992) and José Limón (1908-1972). O’Donnell created roles in some of Graham’s best known works, including Appalachian Spring (1944) and Cave of the Heart (1946), and O’Donnell choreographed her own works, including Suspension (1946). She retired from performing in 1961, but continued to choreograph for her company until 1988.
Also Born Today: Modern dancer Bettie de Jong (1933-) performed with Martha Graham (1894-1991) and with Paul Taylor (1930-2018) from 1962-1985 in seminal pieces including Esplanade (1975) and Cloven Kingdom (1976). She also appeared in the dance film Nine Variations on a Theme (1967) by Hilary Harris.