April 13: Today in Dance

Born Today: Stanley Donen

Hollywood musical director Stanley Donen (1924–2019) created some of the most memorable films during the Golden Age of Musicals (1930s-1950s), including On the Town (1949), Royal Wedding (1951), Singin in the Rain (1952) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). He got his start dancing in the chorus on Broadway, where he met Gene Kelly (1912–1996) and later collaborated with him as part of the Freed Unit, expanding the artistic possibilities of dance on film by integrating the dancing with the plot. Although his groundbreaking work with Kelly is better known, his collaboration with choreographer Bob Fosse (1927–1987) to translate Fosse’s hit Broadway shows to film — The Pajama Game (1957) and Damn Yankees (1958) are also of note. Later, Donen cast Fosse and Donna McKechnie (1942-) in The Little Prince (1974), one of his last musical films.

Also Born Today: Modern dancer/choreographer Michio Ito (1892–1961) studied modern dance in Germany before relocating to the United States. He directed shows on Broadway and created movement for Sally Rand (1904–1979) in the movie Sunset Murder (1938). Choreographer Lester Wilson (1942–1993) created dances for Saturday Night Fever (1977), Beat Street (1984), and for the Solid Gold Dancers. Dance writer Joan Acocella (1945-) is best known for writing about dance for The New Yorker magazine and for her 1993…