Show Notes
In this episode, former New York City Ballet dancer, John Clifford, tells us about his friendship with the great Russian ballerina, Alexandra Danilova. Madame Danilova (known to friends as "Choura") grew up at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg Russia, became a soloist Mariinsky ballet, and toured the world as an acclaimed ballerina in many ballet companies including the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. After retiring from the stage, she settled in New York City and became a beloved teacher at the School of American Ballet for 25 years where she taught new generations of dancers how to become a ballerina in the grand sense of the word.
Additional Resources Footage Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova
More from Immortal Icons of Dance
Chicago is celebrating 30 years on Broadway! To celebrate, I’m releasing a special series of 6 episodes featuring artists who have been part of the Chicago family for decades. Donna Marie Asbury performed in the ensemble of Chicago for 20 years! She also understudied Roxie and Velma and performed with dozens of celebrities over the years. She has many fond memories of the cast of Chicago.
Chicago is celebrating 30 years on Broadway! To celebrate, I’m releasing a special series of 6 episodes featuring artists who have been part of the Chicago family for decades. First up is Jim Borstelmann, who was part of the original 1996 Broadway cast. Jim worked closely with Ann Reinking, who choreographed the revival, and he shares wonderful memories of working with her and being part of the production that would go on to become the longest-running revival in Broadway history.
In this episode I speak with Erzsébet (Liz) who was a ballet student at the School of American Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine when she auditioned to play Michelle Gideon in Bob Fosse's semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz (1979). While filming, she met Ann Reinking with whom she shared many scenes and dance sequences. From there they developed a special mentor-mentee-friendship that lasted until Reinking's passing in 2020. www.immortalciconsofdance.com/book-launch
In this episode I’m speaking with Suzanne Charny who is known as "The Ponytail Girl" in Fosse's "Rich Man's Frug" in the 1969 film Sweet Charity. Suzanne began her professional stage career at 15, when she auditioned for Jerome Robbins inWest Side Story and was cast as a Shark girl in a production that toured Australia. Earlier in her career she was also a featured dancer on NBC’s Hullabaloo. After appearing on Broadway in Do Re Mi and the original Sweet Charity, Suzanne transitioned her career to Hollywood.
In this episode I interview Virginia Johnson, one of the original members of Dance Theatre of Harlem. where she became a principal dancer and performed around the world for nearly three decades. After her performing career she was the founding editor of POINTE Magazine. She later returned to the company as its Artistic Director, helping lead DTH into a new era. www.immortaliconsofdance.com