2 3 Throwback Thursday and Louise Brooks | Ballet Webb

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Throwback Thursday and Louise Brooks



Throwback Thursday and Louise Brooks

Her childhood nickname was Brooksie, and Mary Louise Brooks was born in Cherryvale, Kansas on November 14, 1906.

She began dancing with the Denishawn Dancers. Her time with them is described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Brooks “The company included founders Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, as well as a young Martha Graham. In her second season with the company, Brooks advanced to a starring role in one work opposite Shawn. A long-simmering personal conflict between Brooks and St. Denis boiled over one day, and St. Denis abruptly fired Brooks from the troupe in Spring 1924, telling her in front of the other members, "I am dismissing you from the company because you want life handed to you on a silver salver".[5] The words left a strong impression on Brooks; when she drew up an outline for a planned autobiographical novel in 1949, "The Silver Salver" was the title she gave the tenth and final chapter.[6] Brooks was 17 years old at the time of her dismissal.[7]

Following her dismissal she joined the Ziegfeld Follies. But soon she moved into film, acting in A Girl in Every Port (1928), Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), and Miss Europe (1930). But despite her talent as an actress, she became best known for setting the fashion trend of bobbed hair.

She also lived in Europe and appeared in several German productions. However, she ended her career in 1938 after making only 25 movies. Instead, she shifted her focus to writing and authored a number of books. She also enjoyed painting.

Although married twice, she left no direct descendants. She died at age 78 of a heart attack on August 8, 1985 in Rochester, New York.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Secret #216:
“Louise Brooks was film actress and dancer during the 1920s.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“In my dreams I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance.”
- Louise Brooks

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