Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty (22 December 1918 – 29 April 1995) was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois.
He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers, and also bears the titles dancer, doctor, and dance company director.
[5] He appeared in films such as Maya Deren's A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945) and stage shows such as Helen Tamiris’s revue Inside U.S.A. (1948).
"His self-described style is a mixture of Graham connective steps, Dunham technique, and a little ballet with Louisiana hot sauce on it".
[9] His choreography is also described as "fast, exuberant, [and] explosive,"[10] Beatty explored movement that extended outward from the extremities such as leg extensions and back arches.
In the 1930s and 1940s, black modern dancers began breaking down racial barriers and entering the concert dance space.
In 1931, Beatty performed with Dunham’s company at "The First Negro Dance Recital in America," organized by Edna Guy.
Hannah Durkin writes, in her article, Cinematic "Pas de Deux": The Dialogue between Maya Deren's Experimental Filmmaking and Talley Beatty's Black Ballet Dancer in "A Study in Choreography for Camera" (1945): "The film should thus be read as a collaborative, cross-cultural celebration of black cultural practices and artistry that combines a visual interpretation of Caribbean ritual form with Beatty's balletic technique and breaks down racialized-looking relationships by implicating the viewer in the psychological intensity and virtuosity of his dance.
Deren's transparency in her inspiration being taken from Dunham's work was a break from other white artists of the time who rarely commented on their influences.
In 1992, just three years before his death, Beatty returned to the Pillow for a final time to oversee Philadanco’s revival of Southern Landscape.
Some of Beatty's most notable concert works include Road to Phoebe Snow (1959) with music by Duke Ellington, 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.
[17] In the film Conversations with Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance[18] Beatty talks about some of his more well-known choreographic works.
[19] The plot centers around a group of black and white farmers who had happily formed a community together before being literally destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan.
The most well-known and famous solo section of the dance, titled Mourner’s Bench[14] is about a man returning from recovering a body and reflecting on the ideas of hope and strength.
In an interview for the documentary "Free to Dance," Beatty said that he got the inspiration for Mourner's Bench after reading Freedom Road (1944) by Howard Fast.
