Throwback Thursday and Sallie Wilson
Sallie Wilson was born in Fort Worth, Texas on April 18,
1932. She studied ballet locally at
first, then went to New York and joined Ballet Theater in 1949. Only seventeen, she was shy and had little
performing experience, and was soon dismissed.
However, someone had noticed her.
That someone was Antony Tudor, who was directing the
Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Although he terrified
Sallie with his strict demands, she danced at the Met from 1950-1955. He encouraged Ballet Theater to rehire her,
but before that could happen the company disbanded temporarily in 1958 due to
financial problems. So she joined New
York City Ballet dancing in “Episodes” choreographed by Martha Graham and
George Balanchine.
Sallie Wilson went on to dance again with American Ballet
Theater and achieved fame as a great dramatic ballerina, noted especially for
her work with Antony Tudor, in works such as “Pillar of Fire”, “Fall River Legend”
and “Lilac Garden".
Later, she staged Tudor ballets for other dance companies,
and taught at the school for New York Theater Ballet. She said she believed in total involvement in
every role, even minor ones. She is
quoted as saying: “At the Met, I once
had to stand still for 45 minutes as Tannhäuser’s page.”
Sallie Wilson died of cancer in 2008.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #48:
“Sallie Wilson was an American ballerina known for her
dramatic portrayals.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Success is almost totally dependent
upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or
try another approach is the secret of winning.”
-
Denis Waitley
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