Carmen de Lavallade
Carmen de Lavallade is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress whose career spans ballet, modern dance, and theater.
Geoffrey Holder: Geoffrey Holder was a Trinidadian-American dancer, choreographer, actor, painter, and costume designer. Her husband and frequent creative collaborator, Holder joined her across dance, theater, and film.
Carmen Jones: Carmen Jones is a 1954 musical film that reimagines Bizet’s opera in a contemporary African American setting. De Lavallade appeared as a dancer in this film, directed by Otto Preminger.
Ballet: Ballet is a formal theatrical dance tradition built around codified movement, training, and staged performance. Classical ballet formed one strand of her early training and professional range.
Black ballet dancers: Black ballet dancers are performers of African descent working in classical ballet traditions. Her visibility in ballet helped widen representation in a field with entrenched racial barriers.
Alvin Ailey: Alvin Ailey was an American choreographer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She danced with Ailey’s company and helped establish its early repertory.
Porgy and Bess: Porgy and Bess is an opera by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Ira Gershwin, first performed in 1935. She performed in the 1952 Broadway revival, expanding her work into musical theater.
Modern dance: Modern dance is a theatrical dance tradition that developed partly in opposition to ballet’s conventions. Her work with Lester Horton and Alvin Ailey placed her within modern dance.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a New York-based company founded by choreographer Alvin Ailey in 1958. Her early participation contributed to the company’s formative performance history.
Lester Horton: Lester Horton was an American choreographer whose modern-dance technique influenced generations of performers. She studied with Horton and performed in his company in Los Angeles.
The Egg and I: The Egg and I is a 1951 Broadway play adapted from Betty MacDonald’s memoir. Her Broadway debut came in this production.