Marie Bernarde Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844 in Lourdes, France. Even though she was born as Marie Bernarde, everyone called her Bernadette. She was the eldest of six children. Her family was very poor and she suffered from asthma. Everyone thought of her as mentally challenged.…
Known as the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena Quintanilla-Perez allowed music to lead her into becoming one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. Starting out as a very young girl, she flourished rapidly in the music industry. With albums receiving gold record status, Tejano awards of all sorts, the Grammy, etc., her thrill-filled career was unfortunately cut short when the president of her own fan club killed her. Her physical absence is felt, but Selena Quintanilla’s music still lives today. Selena Quintanilla was born April 16th, 1971 to her parents, Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla.…
She was also the first professor hired at Vassar college. One of her famous quotes was, “ There is so cosmetic for beauty, like happiness”. Maria’s legacy will live on through our studies of astrology. Maria was born August 1, 1818 of nine children, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She was born into a family that practiced the Quaker tradition.…
Buffy Sainte-Marie is a multitalented recording artist who was born in Saskatchewan, 1941. Sainte-Marie is “a pioneer and influential singer-songwriter of love songs, and music with a political and social activist focus.” She is famous for her songs about peace and love, the anti-war single “Universal Soldier,” and her use of music to promote awareness of issues affecting Native Americans. Although her evolving sound created her mainstream success, Buffy Sainte-Marie made a name for herself in the film industry as well, co-writing the Oscar winning single “Up Where We Belong” for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. She even spent a number of years as a cast member on the timeless children’s show Sesame Street.…
Misty Danielle Copeland was born on September 10, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri. Even though she was born in Kansas City, she was raised in San Pedro, California. Misty was very late in starting ballet studies, but it didn’t stop her. Usually, ballerinas start studying when they are three or four, but Misty was thirteen when she took her first ballet class. When she unlocked the magical world of ballet, Misty was coping with the fact she was living in a shabby motel room with her five siblings and fighting for a place to sleep on the floor.…
This artistic influence has carried onto Francine’s Aunt Linda, who teaches dance classes, and her father,…
The screen goes black. The music has stopped. A slow tapping sound like an ice pick on a window alternates with the sound of footsteps, as a white stage and the legs of a performer come into view. One leg is bare, a conventionally sexy woman’s leg ending in a towering heel-less shoe. The other is less expected: rather than flesh and bone, there is a sleek black blade, a dark stalactite beginning at the knee and ending in a dangerous point.…
Mia Michaels was born on February 22, 1966 Miami, Florida. Her father, Joe Michaels taught her jazz, tap, and ballet from the age of three at the Miami Dance Center. Her sister, Dana Michaels, taught her contemporary dance. Mia began choreographing at the age of 11. Mia worked as a judged and a choreographer on the show “So you think you can dance”.…
From her exuberant rhythm, movement, and love of music she truly made an occasion one to remember. Rosaura, her eldest sister, recalls “Her dancing left a room speechless, in awe of her perfect rhythm. I remember the way she would fling herself into a polka and captivate the room with her graceful talent. She had a way with music that none of our family ever did.”…
She wanna be the light of hope for the next generation. She is the only African American soloist at the American theatre now, she was also the third in history, and the first in over 20 years. She become the only African American woman in a group of 80 dancers of the ABT’s corps de ballet. Her unique and exciting story made her an icon and role model for many people. She was a strong advocate for diversifying the field of ballet and creating opportunities for dancers of very race and upbringing.…
There were two dances combined in Merengue, which were African and French Minuet from the late 1700’s- early 1800’s. In addition, the original Meringues was not danced by individual couples but a circle dance. At that time, each man and woman faced each other and holding hands at arm’s length. However, they did not holding each other closely like today we do. The original movements for this dancing was only shaking the showers and swift movement of the feet, and they didn't move the hips (Austeritz, 2013).…
Katherine Dunham By: Deborah D’Silva “Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance in the 1930 's by going to the roots of black dance and rituals transforming them into significant artistic choreography”-KDCAH Background/Personal Information About Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham was born on June 22nd, 1990, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She was born to her father Albert Millard Dunham and her mother Fanny June Taylor, and was the younger sister to Albert Dunham Jr. (Library of Congress). From a very young age Dunham was fascinated by the art of dance, but she was only allowed to participate in it at her church. At the age of 8 she preformed her first dance to non religious music in a cabaret party.…
“She spoke of her dancing not as entertainment but as art, with a high moral purpose. Most of all, she insisted upon the essence of dance as movement”…
Bob Fosse, a jazz director and choreographer, is lauded for his unique artistry of choreography. During the 1950s-1970s, Broadway musicals and films were very popular. Fosse’s work gained a lot of popularity because of the different approach he took on jazz dance. He soon became one of the most notable choreographers of his time. His work has forever changed the way audiences perceive dance, making his work historically relevant and unique.…
Agnes de Mille was a dancer and choreographer. De Mille was born into a family of theatre professionals. Her father and uncle were both Hollywood directors, and her Grandparent on her father’s side were famous playwrights. De Mille originally had her heart set on being an actress, but was told that she wasn’t pretty enough, and turned her attentions to dance instead. She began her association with The American Ballet Theatre in 1939.…