March 31: Today in Dance

Born Today: Christopher Walken

Known primarily as an actor who revels in creepy villain roles and for never having enough cowbell, Christopher Walken (1943-) trained as a dancer and performed in nightclubs while appearing in Broadway plays in the 1960s. He transitioned into film in the 1970s and performed a tap-dancing striptease in Hollywood musical Pennies from Heaven (1981), also starring Steve Martin (1945-). Walken also danced in the movies Puss in Boots (1988) and Hairspray (2007) and appeared dancing and flying in Fatboy Slim’s music video, Weapon of Choice (2001), which Walken helped choreograph.

Also Born Today: Empresario and visionary who directed the vanguard Ballets Russes from 1909-his death, Serge Diaghilev (1872–1929), Nataraja Ramakrishna (1923–2011), who revived traditional Indian dance forms Perini Shivatandavam and Kuchipudi, ballet dancer Istvan Rabovsky (1930–2020), who in 1953, along with his wife Nora Kovach (1931–2009) became one of the first dancers to publicly defect from the Soviet Union, and ballroom dancer Paul Mercurio (1963-) who starred in Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom (1992).

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Broadway Premiere: Oklahoma! In 1943

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Check out more about dance at: https://www.dawndavisloring.com/todayindance

Dawn Davis Loring is delighted to announce the publication of her first book on dance: Dance Appreciation, co-authored by Julie L. Pentz. Available from Human Kinetics and from Amazon and other booksellers.

Open Mind, Insert Dance