From Ballet to Broadway and Black and Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty was born in 1918 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and studied with Katherine Dunham, eventually becoming a principal dancer at the age of 16. He was an original member of the Dunham Company for several years before exploring Broadway.
After touring with the Dunham company for five years, he performed in the Broadway show Cabin in the Sky (1940) and in the films Carnival of Rhythm (1940) and Stormy Weather (1943). He also performed in Showboat (1946) and Inside USA (1948).
Beatty studied at the School of American Ballet and performed Blackface (1947) with Ballet Society, an early Balanchine company.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he taught at the Dunham School and also started the first of several dance companies, which he toured with in the US, Europe, and Canada.
Among his many ballets are Road to Phoebe Snow (1959), Congo Tango Palace (1960), Caravanserai (1971), and The Stack Up (1983); he also choreographed for Broadway shows: a revival of House of Flowers (1968), Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope (1970), and Your Arms too Short to Box with God.
As part of his choreographing for Broadway, he was nominated for a 1977 Tony Award as Best Choreographer for Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God.
Sources:
Talley Beatty, University of Washington Dance
More about Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty (1920-1995), born in Shreveport, Louisiana, studied with Katherine Dunham as a child and was an original member of the Dunham Company for several years. He performed in the Broadway show Cabin in the Sky (1940) and in the films Carnival of Rhythm (1940) and Stormy Weather (1943). He also performed in Showboat (1946) and Inside USA (1948). Beatty studied at the School of American Ballet and performed Blackface (1947) with Ballet Society, an early Balanchine company. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he taught at the Dunham School. During that period he also started the first of several dance companies. Beatty was one of the most notable African American choreographers. Among his many ballets are Road to Phoebe Snow (1959), Congo Tango Palace (1960), Caravanserai (1971), and The Stack Up (1983); he also choreographed for Broadway shows: a revival of House of Flowers (1968), Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope (1970), and Your Arms too Short to Box with God.
Sources:
Nhi Phan
