September 1
Born Today:
Peggy van Praagh
Artistic Director Peggy van Praagh (1910-1990) began dancing at the age of four and later studied with luminaries such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) and dance historian Cyril W. Beaumont (1891-1976). Van Praagh danced with Ballet Rambert, choreographer Antony Tudor (1908-1987), and taught ballet classes for Sadler’s Wells Ballet School. Appointed Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet upon its founding 1962, she remained at the helm until 1974, helping to support ballet as an art form in Australia and nurturing the development of Australian choreographers including Ian Spink (1947-) and Graeme Murphy (1950-).
Also Born Today: dancer Marilyn Miller (1898-1936) was a star of Ziegfeld Follies shows on Broadway from 1918-1924. Percussive dance and tap dancer Max Pollak (1970-) created the hybrid form RumbaTap, a combination of rhythm tap and Latin American music and dance forms.
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Movie: Lady be Good released in 1941