Gene Kelly changed the way dance was perceived on film and made his athletic style a staple of American dance. Learn about this legendary dancer, choreographer, and actor’s life and legacy in this brief biography.
dance history
Jazz Dance Legend: Matt Mattox
From Ballet to Broadway, master classes to movie screens, Matt Mattox left his mark in every aspect of the dance world. In the process, he helped create vocabulary, customs and a style still found in many jazz classes and choreographic works today.
Jazz Dance Legend: Giordano
The man remembered as the “Godfather of American Jazz Dancing” could check numerous titles off his list of accomplishments, including dancer, choreographer, master teacher, company founder, author, and, ultimately, the person who led jazz to become a recognized and respected art form.
Jazz Dance Legend: Luigi
Labeled as “the father of American jazz dancing,” Luigi left behind a technique that took the dance world by storm and a story that is sure to inspire dancers everywhere.
Leaps in the Dark: Agnes de Mille and the Road to Oklahoma
Oklahoma! changed the role dance played in Broadway musicals. Choreographer, Agnes de Mille’s road to Oklahoma! was many unconventional years in the making. Afterward, she felt conflicted about her success but with advice from Martha Graham, de Mille took leap after leap in the dark.
Misty Copeland Writes About Diversity in Ballet
A brown swan in the very white world of ballet, Misty Copeland painted her skin a different color in order to play roles in Giselle and Sylvia. 1957? 1977? Nope – 2007. Leigh Purtill looks at Misty’s memoir Life in Motion.
