She played the original role of Daisy Allen on Love of Life. Soon after followed her role in Aaron Loves Angela then came after the movie Sparkle which she played the leading role herself. With many more films including the 1980 hit movie Fame, that allowed Irene to gain the stardom she deserves, her benefits began to come. With her powerful singing capabilities, history was made when two not one but two hit songs from the musical Fame was nominated at the Academy Awards. During that same year she earned Grammy and Golden Globe nominations.
Despite a lifelong struggle with failing vision and the political conspiracy that have defined post-revolutionary Cuba, Alonso returned to her beloved land and founded the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and created the island's first dance school. At the age of eight, when she took her first dance lesson, she recalled to www.spain-alive.com, "I knew that I was going to love it more than anything in my life." That love has pushed her through six decades of dance. Born Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martinez Hoya on December 21, 1921 (though some sources say it was 1917); Alonso was the youngest of four children. Her father, Antonio Martinez, was an officer in the Cuban army and her mother, Ernestina Hoya, was a homemaker.
The dance school had great success which led her on to many successful years of dancing and choreographing. Dunham passed away on May 26th 2009, one month before her 96th birthday. Dunham was a legendary dancer who impelled the appreciation and recognition of the African culture through her choreography. There is a Katherine Dunham museum in St Louis which includes over 250 pieces of Caribbean and African art objects from over 50 countries. The museum showcases photographs, awards, letters and mementos from Dunham’s career as a choreographer, dancer, teacher and dance company owner.
Erin Weinberger Theater Fundamentals October 22, 2010 Agnes de Mille Agnes de Mille was born in New York, New York in 1905 to the parents of William C. deMille who was a playwright and soon to be Hollywood director and Anna George, the daughter of a well known economist in New York. When she was still young her family moved to Hollywood to become part of the business there. Because Agnes was still a child she attended a Hollywood school for girls. Then went on to graduate from University of California at Los Angeles being part of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. In 1932 she then moved back to New York when her parents divorced and started choreographing dance numbers to perform.
Debbie Allen Biography Deborrah Kaye Allen was born on January 16, 1950, in Houston, Texas. Allen is an actress, choreographer, dancer, director, and producer. She was three when she began dancing and by the age of four she was determined to be a professional performer, which lead to her parents enrolling her in dance classes at the age of five. Allen's parents divorced in 1957, leaving her mother Vivian as the main provider and caregiver for Debbie and her siblings. In 1960, Vivian took Debbie and her siblings to live with her in Mexico.
This made Baker the first American woman in history to be buried in France with Military honors. In conclusion, I would like to say that Josephine Baker is an example of a courageous woman. Josephine Baker has continued to intrigue and inspire people throughout the world. In 1991, HBO released “The Josephine Baker Story.” The movie won two Emmy and also picked up three Golden Globe nominations. All her life she’d entertained people and cared for them.
Cherilyn Sarkisian was born on May 20, 1946 in El Centro, California to a John Sarkisian a refugee who worked as a truck driver and Georgia Holt an aspiring actress and sometimes a model. Cher faced tribes and tribulation when her parents divorced. Due to financial problem Cher ended up in a temporary foster home till her mother came back to get her. Cher’s mother remarried again to a banker named Gilbert Capierre who later adopted her. When Cher was young she was diagnosed with dyslexia but didn’t let that stop her from her dream in 1941 she saw the movie Dumbo q“and I pead my pants” she realized that she wanted to become a singer and a dancing animal.
Bette Davis Bette Davis was one of the greatest actresses to come out of Hollywood. She was one of the biggest stars in the film industry in the 19th century. Bette Davis was born on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts to Harlow Morrell Davis (father) and Ruth Favor Davis (mother). She died on October 6, 1989 in Neuilly, France to metastasized breast cancer. Bette was married four times her first husband was Harmon Nelson 1932-1938, her second was Arthur Farnsworth 1941-1943 he died, her third was William Grant Sherry 1945 they had one child, her fourth husband was actor Gary Merrill 1950-1960 they had 2 children.
I won a singing contest and I was on my way to New York and then I became famous. Today, people remember me as one of the best singers in the world. Thank you! Harriet Tubman Hello, my name is Harriet Tubman and I would like to tell you about my life. I was a brave woman who lead the Underground Railroad.
Gelsey Kirkland Gelsey Kirkland was born to Jack and Nancy Kirkland in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1952. Her father, Jack was a playwright and an alcoholic, and her mother Nancy, was an actress. Having two parents who were so involved with theater, some say that Kirkland was destined for theater. In her autobiography, Dancing on my Grave, Kirkland says that she was “not born a ballerina. I did not emerge from the womb on pointe, nor did I wear a tutu instead of diapers.” However, one could argue otherwise when witnessing the amazing style and grace of this beautiful ballerina.