Throwback Thursday and Martha Beckett
Martha Beckett was born on August 9, 1924. She died this year on January 30, 2017. She was a dancer, actress, choreographer and painter.
She began her ballet training at age 14 and later danced in the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall, as well as performing on Broadway in shows such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Show Boat. She then developed a one-woman show and traveled across America with it, performing in small venues.
In 1962 she married, and in 1967 their car developed a flat tire en route to one of her performances. This fateful event led her to a theater in Death Valley Junction. She fell in love with it, rented it, and began fixing it up. She changed its name to Amargosa Opera House, and set to work painting murals and sets.
Here she performed for more than four decades, most often without any audience at all in attendance. In 1970, journalists from National Geographic and Life magazines discovered her performing to an empty house and wrote articles about her. This drew tourists to the area, and she finally had an audience to perform for.
Her last performance was on February 12, 2012.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet
Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #152:
“Martha Beckett was a dancer and actress who often performed without an
audience.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
"Outside, in the world, people struck each
other, yelled, honked horns. Inside, in the theater, they conversed by singing
and dancing. I knew that was where I belonged."
- Martha Beckett
Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas,
or images that worked best for you!
My latest
books are two coloring books! They are available on Amazon.
Want to know
more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:
Or
"Like" me on my Facebook Author Page:
Or
visit my Pinterest page:
No comments:
Post a Comment