1940 |
Walt Disney's Fantasia, directed by Ben Sharpsteen, contains music by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, and Schubert, choreographed with animation. |
1941 |
CBS presents The Country Dance Society, the first group to have a weekly show on Sundays. |
1942 |
For Me and My Gal marks the screen debut of Gene Kelly, co-starring with Judy Garland. Busby Berkeley directs the dramatic sections. Bobby Connolly choreographs. |
1943 |
Lamentation, choreographed and performed by Martha Graham, is directed on 16mm film by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Moselsio, preceded by a brief on-screen discussion of modern dance with critic John Martin. |
1944 |
Cover Girl by Gene Kelly. |
1945 |
Kitty Doner and Pauline Koner begin a dance series on CBS called Choreotones. |
Valerie Bettis becomes staff choreographer for the Paul Whiteman Show, choreographing a 15-minute ballet each week. |
A Study in Choreography f ï r Camera, a film directed by Maya Deren, creates new film space for dancer Talley Beatty. |
1948 |
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger direct The Red Shoes, with Moira Shearer, Leonide Massine, Robert Helpmann and Ludmilla Tcherina. |
1949 |
Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly co-direct On the Town, Kelly also choreographs and stars with Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller. This is a remake of the 1944 Broadway musical inspired by the ballet Fancy Free, choreographed by Jerome Robbins. |
Through the Crystal Ball, the first half-hour, all-dance show on TV, airs five episodes over a couple of months, including Cinderella, choreographed by George Balanchine with Herbert Bliss and Tanaquil LeClerq and The Wild West, choreographed by Todd Bolender with LeClerq and Patricia McBride. |