In 2008 we bid farewell to many special artists. While they have passed, their influence on the dance and performing arts community will continue on…
Philadelphia’s own LaVaughn Robinson, a tap-dance virtuoso on the big-band circuit in the 1940s and ’50s who became a master teacher and a major force in tap’s revival. In 1982 he was hired by the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, now the University of the Arts, where he taught for 20 years. Germaine Ingram, a civil-rights lawyer, who had studied with him privately, joined him as part of a trio and in 1988 as a duo. By then Mr. Robinson was a revered teacher, appearing in New York and other cities in festivals and tributes to the tap veterans who revived the form.
Hortense Allen, a Philadelphia tap dancer who was featured in the documentary, “Plenty of Good Women Dancers.”
Cyd Charisse (86), ballet-trained, she danced opposite Gene Kelly in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. She was one of the most brilliant and beautiful female dancers ever to appear on the big screen.She danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
Eartha Kitt (81), actress, singer and dancer. Known more for her sultry voice, she had started her career as a member of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company.
Olga Lepeshinskaya, who danced with the Bolshoi to international acclaim for over 30 years. Lepeshinkaya won four Stalin Prizes during her career. Her roles included, among others, Kitri in “Don Quixote,” Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty,” Lise in Gorsky’s version of “La Fille Mal Gardee,” Tao Hoa in “The Red Poppy,” and Jeanne in “The Flames of Paris.”
Rosella Hightower, a prominent American Indian ballet dancer who rose to an illustrious career in the 1940s and 1950s and later started one of the premier dance schools in Europe.
Mario Maya, one of the main figures of contemporary flamenco dance, whose influence is undeniable. With the founding of the Andalusian Dance Company, Mario Maya retired from the limelight and devoted himself to directing and choreography. The majority of his productions were inspired by Lorca and his trilogy on time, love and death. Among these productions the most outstanding is “Los flamencos bailan y cantan a Lorca” and “Diálogo del Amargo”.
Wayne Frost, a hip-hop pioneer known as Frosty Freeze who helped inspire a worldwide break-dancing craze in the early 1980s as a member of the influential group Rock Steady Crew.
Legendary Tap Dancer Jimmy Slyde (80) , who worked with people like the Nicholas brothers and Charles (Honey) Cole and Sandman Simms and Bill Bojangles Robinson.
Pilar López, (95), was the last representative of the golden age of flamenco ballet in the 1930s and 1940s. She was considered a fine, serious classical dancer, but it was as a choreographer and teacher of young dancers that she excelled.
Nadia Nerina, South African Ballet Dancer and one of the most gifted, versatile and inspiring ballerinas of the Royal Ballet.
Clive Barnes (81), dance, theater and opera critic for the New York Post. His writing on dance did much to keep audiences in touch with the dance world.
Gerald Arpino (85), Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of The Joffrey Ballet.
Daniel Nagrin (91), a choreographer, performer, teacher and writer who was known for intensely dramatic solos that became modern-dance classics.
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While not a dancer, you may wish to add Clive Barnes (81), dance, theater and opera critic for the New York Post. His writing on dance did much to keep audiences in touch with the dance world.
You might also consider adding Gerald Arpino (85), Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of The Joffrey Ballet. Mr. Arpino passed away peacefully on October 29, 2008 in his Chicago home after a long illness. A leading dancer with the company in its early years, Mr. Arpino choreographed his first work for The Joffrey, Ropes, in 1961. Shortly thereafter, he became The Joffrey’s resident choreographer and created more than one-third of the company’s repertoire.
Just thought he should be included on this list given everything he has done for Dance!
You also missed Hortense Allen, a Philadelphia tap dancer who was featured in the documentary, “Plenty of Good Women Dancers.”
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