Carmelita Maracci -- The Legacy: An Individual Voice
A panel discussion with:
Allegra Kent, Carmen de Lavallade,
Naomi Sorkin and Mary Chipman
moderated by Virginia Storie-Crawford
Mon, May 22, 2017, 6:00 - 9:00PM
The Center for Ballet and the Arts, New York University
2017 marked the eightieth anniversary of Maracci’s first appearance in NYC (1937).
"Maracci mesmerized New Yorkers with her smoldering passion and unique movement style. Here were wonderfully spiraling hands, a spine that arched proudly, and dazzling technical footwork.” -- Naomi Jackson, Converging Movements (2000)
Panelists included:
*Allegra Kent, a muse of Balanchine who danced for 30 years at New York City Ballet. She is an American ballerina known for her artistic range from the ethereal Somnambule, to the mechanical Agon, dramatic Seven Deadly Sins, and lyrical Dances at a Gathering. Currently she teaches at Barnard College and is an author of several books including her autobiography Once a Dancer.
*Carmen de Lavallade, dancer, actress, choreographer. She first danced with Lester Horton and then with Alvin Ailey in House of Flowers directed by Herbert Ross. She has had an extensive acting and dancing career on and off Broadway, at the Metropolitan Opera and most recently in cities across the nation in her autobiographical portrait As I Remember It.
*Naomi Sorkin, dancer, actress, teacher. A classical, contemporary, and dramatic dancer, she was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theater. An expressive musical dancer, she danced in the acclaimed PBS Swan Lake Minnesota. As an actress, she performed in London’s West End and also portrayed Ida Rubenstein in the film Madame Ida.
*Mary Chipman, writer, danced with Lee Theodore's American Dance Machine. She credits Carmelita for encouraging her to educate herself, fostering critical thinking skills essential to her success in a technical career as a writer, speaker, and educator on database technologies. Mary currently lives in New York City, and her interests include Egyptology, goldsmithing, and historical research.
a redmonkey site
More information from:
• Celebrating Carmelita Maracci, Who ‘Took the Girdle Off Ballet’ -- The New York Times
