Talley Beatty
Encyclopedia
Talley Beatty 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, educator, and dance company director
. After studying under Katherine Dunham
and Martha Graham
, Beatty went on to do solo work and choreograph his own works which center on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans. Beatty and his technique and style of dancing have been both praised and criticized by critics and dancers of his day.
n and Caribbean
studies of dance in the West Indies. He was a part of Dunham’s company and performed in several shows with them. He also trained under Martha Graham in the 1940s. He left the Dunham troupe in 1946 to continue his studies in New York
. He took ballet
lessons in New York, but because he was African American he was forced to dance classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent classroom.
Beatty continued his work as a solo artist and choreographer. He explored a variety of different dance roles and styles. 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). He danced in Broadway
musicals such as Cabin in the Sky
. He was nominated for a Tony Award
in 1977 for choreography for the Broadway show Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
(1976).
He also danced in nightclubs, for musical theater, and on the concert stage. He even did a minstrel
ballet titled Blackface. Beatty also choreographed for a variety of choreographers including Ruth Page
, Lew Christiansen, George Balanchine
, and Syvilla Fort
. He choreographed over fifty ballets and did work in America and Europe
.
and ballet. “His self-described style is a mixture of Graham connective steps, Dunham technique, and a little ballet with Louisiana hot sauce on it”. His choreography is also described as “fast, exuberant, [and] explosive,” Beatty explored movement that extended outward from the extremities such as leg extensions and back arches. Dancers in the documentary film Talley Beatty: Conversations with Contemporary Masters of Modern Dance state that his choreography is very physically demanding and technically challenging and that in order to dance in one of his work a strong knowledge in at least four different dances, including ballet and modern dance
, is needed.
. The dance explores an event in history that Beatty read about in a book. He learned about a community of white and black farmers who had happily formed a community together. The book then describes how the community was literally slaughtered and destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan
; after the slaughter, people went into the fields at night to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones. The most well-known and famous section of the dance, titled Mourner’s Bench is about a person who is returning from recovering a body, and explores the ideas of hope and strength.
Cedar Grove, Shreveport, Louisiana
-History:Cedar Grove is a neighborhood within the confines of Shreveport, Louisiana. It is located to the south east of the downtown district. It is generally considered to be the area bordered by Hollywood Avenue on the North side to 85th Street on the South side; from Line Avenue in the East to...
, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
choreographers, and also bears the titles dancer, educator, and dance company director
Dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a spectacle or entertainment.-Members:*Artistic Director*Choreographers*Dancers*Board of Directors*Education administrator...
. After studying under Katherine Dunham
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was an American dancer, choreographer, songwriter, author, educator, and activist...
and Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
, Beatty went on to do solo work and choreograph his own works which center on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans. Beatty and his technique and style of dancing have been both praised and criticized by critics and dancers of his day.
Dance background
Beatty began studying dance at the age of fourteen with Katherine Dunham. He learned her style of dancing which was heavily based on her AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
studies of dance in the West Indies. He was a part of Dunham’s company and performed in several shows with them. He also trained under Martha Graham in the 1940s. He left the Dunham troupe in 1946 to continue his studies in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He took ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
lessons in New York, but because he was African American he was forced to dance classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent classroom.
Beatty continued his work as a solo artist and choreographer. He explored a variety of different dance roles and styles. He appeared in films such as Maya Deren
Maya Deren
Maya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
's A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945) and stage shows such as Helen Tamiris
Helen Tamiris
Helen Tamiris was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and teacher.-Biography:A founder of American Modern Dance, Tamiris originally trained in free movement at the Henry Street Settlement. She danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and the Bracale Opera Company before studying briefly...
’s revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
Inside U.S.A.
Inside U.S.A.
Inside U.S.A. was a musical revue by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz and was loosely based on the book Inside U.S.A. by John Gunther. Sketches were written by Arnold M. Auerbach, Moss Hart, and Arnold B...
(1948). He danced in 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...
musicals such as Cabin in the Sky
Cabin in the Sky
Cabin in the Sky is a 1943 American musical film with music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. It closed on March 8, 1941 after a total of 156 performances...
. He was nominated for a 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...
in 1977 for choreography for the Broadway show Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance is a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew, with music and lyrics by Alex Bradford and a book by Vinnette Carroll, who also directed...
(1976).
He also danced in nightclubs, for musical theater, and on the concert stage. He even did a minstrel
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
ballet titled Blackface. Beatty also choreographed for a variety of choreographers including Ruth Page
Ruth Page
Ruth Page was an American ballerina and choreographer, considered a pioneer in creating works on American themes. To the classical ballet vocabulary she added movements from sports, popular dance and everyday gestures....
, Lew Christiansen, George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
, and Syvilla Fort
Syvilla Fort
Syvilla Fort was an American dancer, choreographer, and dance educator.Born in Seattle, she was African American and drew on her heritage in her original dance works....
. He choreographed over fifty ballets and did work in America and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Dance Technique
Many dancers and critics described Beatty’s dance style as a mix between jazzJazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
and ballet. “His self-described style is a mixture of Graham connective steps, Dunham technique, and a little ballet with Louisiana hot sauce on it”. His choreography is also described as “fast, exuberant, [and] explosive,” Beatty explored movement that extended outward from the extremities such as leg extensions and back arches. Dancers in the documentary film Talley Beatty: Conversations with Contemporary Masters of Modern Dance state that his choreography is very physically demanding and technically challenging and that in order to dance in one of his work a strong knowledge in at least four different dances, including ballet and modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
, is needed.
Criticisms
John Martin, a famous white dance critic during the early to mid 1900s, criticized Beatty’s dance style as too balletic. During this particular time period in which there was much racism and stereotyping, ballet was thought of as a “high art” that was reserved for white dancing bodies only. Other people such as Margaret Lloyd in her book Borzoi, Book of Modern Dance, praised Beatty. Lloyd said in her book that she found his leaps “phenomenal, a sort of universal wish fulfillment to navigate the air”..Themes in Choreography
Beatty’s work explored themes around the struggles and everyday life of African Americans. Many of his dances were his own “personal statements about alienation, racial discrimination, and the hardships of urban life”. In the film Conversations with Contemporary Masters of Modern Dancers Beatty talks about some of his more well-known dances and what they mean. According to Beatty Southern Landscape, a three-part dance, is a description of the time right after the Reconstruction period in the SouthSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. The dance explores an event in history that Beatty read about in a book. He learned about a community of white and black farmers who had happily formed a community together. The book then describes how the community was literally slaughtered and destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
; after the slaughter, people went into the fields at night to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones. The most well-known and famous section of the dance, titled Mourner’s Bench is about a person who is returning from recovering a body, and explores the ideas of hope and strength.