Happy 119th Birthday to the one and only Busby Berkeley. The story I heard goes like this: A show was trying out in Philly. (Been there, done that.) The stage manager was told that the dance director had been fired, and that he would have to locate a new dance director pronto. Whats the job pay? Fifty bucks a week. (The stage manager had been making $25.) Ill take it. Now, the stage manager had never had a dance lesson in his life, but he was a shrewd fellow, and he figured that the worst that could happen would be that he might be fired as his predecessor had been. He called the girls into the rehearsal room, and, not knowing what else to say, he said, First Position. The girls assumed First Position. Second Position. Again, the girls assumed the position as they were ordered. He called out the other three positions, and, after seeing what they were, he began to compose a new dance combination using variations on those five positions, and moving the girls about in various combinations. And the number and the show were a hit. And stage manager Busby Berkeley would become a legend in dance circles, despite never having danced. His use of the camera for dance remains unequaled, in my opinion. (But the term choreographer would be coined by Agnes de Mille in 1943 when she worked on Oklahoma, and after WWII, Busby would become known as a choreographer.) Take a look at this compilation video, set to Artie Shaws recording of Hoagy Carmichaels Stardust, and marvel at the guys imagination and visual artistry.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 12:22:32 +0000