May 23
Born Today:
Tatiana Riabouchinska
Dancer Tatiana Riabouchinska (1917-2000) was known as one of the Baby Ballerinas choreographer George Balanchine (1904-1983) discovered at very young ages and hired to dance with the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. Along with Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) and Irina Baranova (1919-2008), Riabouchinska was under the age of 15 and tackled major roles in the 1930s, and she remained with the group until 1942. The following year, she married choreographer David Lichine (1910-1972) and they danced all over the world for a decade. The couple retired from dancing in 1953 and opened up a school in Beverly Hills, where she taught for many years. Riabouchinska is featured in the superb Ballet Russes (2005) documentary, which you must see.
Also Born Today: Dancer/actor Betty Garrett (1919-2011) is best known for her performance in the movie On the Town (1949) with Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and she later appeared in TV shows All in the Family and Laverne & Shirley. Ballerina Tai Jimenez (1970-) performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Boston Ballet and has taken the stage name Black Light as a performer in her later career.