Iva Kitchell

Iva Kitchell (March 31, 1908 in Junction City, Kansas – November 19, 1983 in Daytona Beach, Florida)[1] was a concert dancer, dance satirist and comedian.

[2] Kitchell was fond of amusing herself by mocking the seriousness of the performances, and was encouraged to develop her talent for comedic mimicry, rather than reprimanded.

[1] She performed her one-woman shows extensively in the United States and Europe, including a notable recital at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1946.

Kitchell frequently performed without a program, spontaneously selecting from among approximately 50 works, with titles such as, "Fantasy for Body and Piano," "Valse Triste, as shown on a home movie projector," "Bacchanale at the Opera," "Oriental Dance (by an Occidental Girl)," "Pseudo-Voodoo," and "Non-Objective.

After retiring from public performing in 1958, Kitchell ran a ballet studio in Huntington, Long Island, and later she and Webster relocated to Florida.