May 9
Born Today:
Mallika Sarabhai
Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Mallika Sarabhai (1955-) has had an eclectic career, appearing in the Peter Brook play, The Mahabarata (1985), which ran 9 hours long. She manages the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in India, has appeared in films since the age of 15, and has scripted plays and televised shows. She is as well known for her social activism as her dancing, producing thousands of televised projects that empower women, share scientific concepts, and promote environmental awareness.
Also Born Today: Ballerina Violetta Bovt (1927-1995) moved to the Soviet Union as a youngster and later studied at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. She performed with the Stanislavski Theatre for 35 years and was not allowed to perform in the United States during her career, nor was she invited to be a permanent performer at the Bolshoi or the Maryinsky Theatres because she wouldn’t renounce her US citizenship.
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Broadway Premiere: Blackbirds of 1928
Movie: The Great American Broadcast released in 1941