Jack Cole: The 'scary' dancer who made Marilyn sparkle
Arts reporter, BBC News
He's been called the father of American jazz dancing. But Jack Cole was also the man who gave Marilyn Monroe her dance moves. Another Cole pupil, Chita Rivera - star of the original Broadway West Side Story - recalls him as a demanding choreographer but, more than 60 years on, says she'll never have cause for complaint.
Rivera is one of the few people still to have memories of dancing with Cole in his prime. She's been a Broadway star since , when she created the role of Anita in West Side Story.
A year before that she'd appeared with Cole on TV on Sid Caesar's comedy show. They performed an extended and powerful version of the jazz standard the Beale Street Blues.
"Jack was extraordinary," Rivera says. "The style he created was like nothing else you'd seen. He could be exciting and scary and maybe you didn't always want to hang around with him - but I'm delighted we got to dance together at the beginning of my career."
Cole was born John Ewing Richter in into a
THE JACK COLE STYLE Cole used many ethnic and folk styles of dance (like East Indian, flamenco, and the lindy) as a source for movements. His style was derived from dance movements performed for centuries by common people, but theatricalised for use on the stage. This is why, when pressed for a definition of his movement, Cole termed it "urban folk dance. " When trying to describe Cole's movement, it is best to identify certain predominate characteristics. A partial list would include dancing in plie; with isolated body movements; with compressed or stored energy; and with a keen sense of manipulating rhythm, spatial levels, and attack.
The first item of dancing in plie is a key to the Cole style. Cole made great use of a wide and low second position, as well as a parallel fourth position with both knees bent and the back knee close to the floor. This wide stance dropped the dancer's centre of gravity, and allowed the dancer to extend movement horizontally across the floor. This contrasted with the ballet dancer's vertical orientation. By using an ultra smooth transition of weight from foot to foot, a slinky, sensual feel was given by him and his dancers. Cole's movement is oft
&#;Whenever I see a great performance, I change. I come out of the theatre a different person and stay a different person for the rest of my life. That&#;s what art should do. It should shake you.&#;
TRQ: Jack Cole, Died February 17,
Dancer and choreographer Jack Cole, known as the “The Father of Theatrical Jazz Dance,” was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Openly gay, Cole was sent to boarding school after his parents divorce and went on to discontinue all contact with him.
Cole began his career in dance at the Denishawn Dance Company under Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. He is credited for codifying jazz dance into theatrical choreography. The “Cole technique” has become the basis of theatrical jazz dance today. Cole’s disciples included Bob Fosse, Alvin Ailey, Gwen Verdon, and Tommy Tune..
“They all stole from Cole,” confirms choreographer Agnes de Mille.
Verdon, a Tony-award winning actor and dancer, was Cole’s assistant for a number of years. “When you see dancing on television, that’s Jack Cole,” she says.
Cole was known for being exacting, shaping every detail of a choreographed performance. His work with Marilyn Monroe and Chita Rivera is some of his most well k
&#;The following article was written by myself and appears on my Facebook page, acknowledging the contribution of Choreographer Jack Cole and his contribution to the world of dance.&#; &#; Andrew Choreographer
Jack Cole, “Cole technique” is the basis of what is American/Theatrical Jazz Dance today.
Mr. Cole was a great influence on other great dancers we know, such as, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Peter Gennaro.
Jack Cole &#; Photo from the web.
Mr. Cole set the bar high with his understanding of dance and its origin/history, he learnt and understood other styles/techniques, from Modern, Caribbean, to Oriental.
His ability to choreograph for both male and female dancers was amazing too. When it comes to passing on that knowledge and preparing his dancers for work as a choreographer, he would often mention to his company dancers. – “I want you boys to dance like girls and I want you girls to dance like men.”
Even when Mr. Cole was choreographing his numbers, he would at times retain artistic control of filming, set designs and wardrobe. Mr. Cole was handed the task for choreographing Kismet, based on his works from the Broadway and London productions.
He performed
Biographies you may also like
Lucia ronchetti biography of michael jackson Michael Jackson: biography, discography, reviews, ratings, best albums. Summary. Before becoming the most successful bluffs of all time, Michael Jackson had been one of the Jackson Missing: lucia ronchetti.
William b ogden biography examples Over the net two decades, William Ogden would become the most important railroad builder and executive in the nation. Through his extraordinary vision and hard work, he cobbled together a Missing: examples.
Nacho carbonell biography of george Ilustres ignorantes es un programa de televisión español presentado por Javier Coronas, junto con sus colaboradores habituales Javier Cansado y Pepe programa empezó a Missing: george.
Abdullah ibn abbas tafsir ahlam Attributed variously to the Companion Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (dCE) and to Ibn Ya'qub al-Firuzabadi (dCE), Tafsir Ibn Abbas is one of the pivotal works for understanding the .
Ryan butler justin biebers bff Ryan Butler has been Justin Bieber’s best friends since they were 7. He’s an aspiring director/editor, and a wonderful photographer. He’s very athletic. He enjoys basketball, soccer, .
Gareth pugh biography of abraham lincoln Michael Burlingame's long-awaited Abraham Lincoln: A Life, published in by the Johns Hopkins University Press in two large volumes and nearly 2, pages, is believed by many Lincoln scholars to be the most exhaustively researched and fully documented biography of Abraham Lincoln ever g: gareth pugh.
Anthony burgess shakespeare biography youtube This podcast episode examines Anthony Burgess’s relationship with Shakespeare and his works, including discussions of his Shakespeare biography, his novel Nothing Like the Sun and his Missing: youtube.
Creel price biography for kids Creel is co-founder of Investible, an early-stage venture capital firm backing the visionaries advancing humanity through technology. Its mission is to connect ground-breaking companies .