Onna White
Overview
Onna White was a Canadian
choreographer and dancer nominated for eight Tony Award
s.
Born in Inverness, Nova Scotia
, White began taking dance lessons at the age of twelve, and eventually her studies took her to the famed San Francisco
Ballet Company, where she danced in the first full-length U.S. production of The Nutcracker
. Her first Broadway
performance was in Finian's Rainbow
in 1947. Her next assignment was Guys and Dolls, in which she both performed and assisted the choreographer, Michael Kidd
, beginning an association that lasted through various productions until, in 1956, she choreographed her first Broadway show, Carmen Jones
.
She married actor Larry Douglas in 1948; they divorced in 1959.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
choreographer and dancer nominated for eight Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s.
Born in Inverness, Nova Scotia
Inverness, Nova Scotia
Inverness is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In 2001 its population was 2,496.Located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island fronting the Gulf of St...
, White began taking dance lessons at the age of twelve, and eventually her studies took her to the famed San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
Ballet Company, where she danced in the first full-length U.S. production of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
. Her first Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
performance was in Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
in 1947. Her next assignment was Guys and Dolls, in which she both performed and assisted the choreographer, Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd was an American film and stage choreographer.-Life and career:Born Milton Greenwald in New York City on the Lower East Side, the son of Abraham Greenwald, an immigrant barber, and his wife Lillian, Michael Kidd moved to Brooklyn with his family and attended New Utrecht High School there...
, beginning an association that lasted through various productions until, in 1956, she choreographed her first Broadway show, Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones is a 1943 Broadway musical starring Muriel Smith in the title role, later made into a 1954 musical film; the play also ran for a season in 1991 at London's Old Vic and most recently in London's Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in 2007. It is an updating of the Georges Bizet...
.
She married actor Larry Douglas in 1948; they divorced in 1959.
