Cyd Charisse, technically speaking the greatest female dancer in movie history but easily the most overlooked by posterity, has passed at age 86.
Classically trained and touring internationally as a ballerina in her teens, Cyd entered the movies during World War II and proceeded to conquer every style from tango to tap. Her elegant brunette appearance (in an era dominated by Marilyn Monroe look-alikes) and her cool onscreen persona kept her from becoming a household name like dancer comediennes Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth. But dance legends Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire recognized her mastery and demanded Cyd co-star in their pictures after her breakthrough work in Kelly's 1952 masterpiece Singin' In the Rain. She made five films with them altogether, including Brigadoon, The Band Wagon, It's Always Fair Weather, and Silk Stockings. Unfortunately, big Hollywood musicals fell out of style soon after she made it to the top.
Words fail when you're talking about a dancer, so I'll let the legend speak for herself:
"Flaming Flamenco" (with Ricardo Montalban) from Fiesta, 1947.
"Broadway Melody" Parts 1 and 2 (with Gene Kelly) from Singin' In the Rain, 1952.
"Frankie and Johnny" (with John Brascia and Liliane Montevecchi) from Meet Me In Las Vegas, 1956.
"Fated to Be Mated" (with Fred Astaire) from Silk Stockings, 1957.
For more clips visit: http://www.mahalo.com/Best_of_Cyd_Charisse
I pray Cyd's dancing in heaven today.
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