November 13
Born Today:
Mary Wigman
Modern dance pioneer Mary Wigman (1886-1973) began dancing in her mid-twenties after attending performances by several students taught by Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950), the developer of the method of teaching music concepts using movement he called Eurythmics. In 1913, Wigman was introduced to movement theorist Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958) and she developed an expressive dance technique that differed from ballet, producing her first concert in 1919. She founded a school shortly afterwards and sent protégé Hanya Holm (1893-1992) to New York to teach her technique in the United States.
Also Born Today: Ballet dancer Guillermina Bravo (1920-2013), who co-founded the Academia de la Danza Mexicana in 1947, along with Josefina Lavalle (1924-2009).
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Broadway Premieres: The Lion King in 1997 and Billy Elliot in 2008