Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Cyd Charisse


Ballet dancer Cyd Charisse died yesterday at 86 years of age. Made famous from the Technicolor musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, she was, in a word, breathtaking.

I still remember the first time I saw Cyd Charisse dance (the clips, above and after the jump) in Gene Kelly's "Singin in the Rain," one of my favorite films. In watching these again for reminiscence sake, I'm still stunned by her grace, power, and beauty.



from "The Band Wagon"



from "Meet me in Las Vegas"

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with everything you said, except that Singin in the Rain is a Gene Kelly movie, not Fred Astaire. (she did appear with both onscreen though).

Ben said...

nice catch. thanks.

Jenny Miller said...

That is some sexy dance.

Linsey said...

that is one of my all time favorite scenes in a movie ever. Also coincides as my favorite movie.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

And geez..if I could flip a coin like that...

Daniel said...

She was also on the video for Janet Jackson's "Alright"

Hans N. said...

While her ballet may have been poor and her acting often wooden, she was still one hell of a dancer, with fantastic timing, grace, and tons of sex appeal. RIP, Ms. Charisse.