Perhaps
the most
accomplished of
the female
dancing stars
was Cyd
Charisse:
Born Tula
Finklea, she was
known for her
discipline and
elegant
precision. (We
can’t imagine
her body ever
NOT doing what
she demanded of
it.)
Nowhere
is her talent
better displayed
than in the
movie “Silk
Stockings,” a
musical version
of the Greta
Garbo comedy
“Ninotchka”:
The only chink
in Charisse’s
“armor” was that
she didn’t have
a lot of
stamina. She
could only
perform for
short bursts of
time before her
energy flagged.
This often
called for
frequent editing
cuts in her
dance numbers,
like in this
Eugene
Loring-choreographed
number which
shows Charisse
at her very
best:
Cyd’s
“stamina
deficit” may
have also
dictated a few
cuts in her
dance numbers
with Fred
Astaire in "The
Bandwagon."
Fred famously
wanted all of
his dances
filmed and shown
in one
continuous
take.
Edits or not,
this number,
co-choreographed
by Astaire and
Michael Kidd, is
perfection:
Speaking
of perfection,
here are some of
the lovely
things that
we’re featuring
from our website
today:
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