Jack Cole (choreographer)

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Jack Cole (1937) on a photograph by Carl Van Vechten

Jack Cole (born April 27, 1911 in New Brunswick , New Jersey , † February 17, 1974 in Hollywood , Los Angeles ; actually John Ewing Richter ) was an American dancer and choreographer .

Life

Cole was born John Ewing Richter in New Brunswick in 1911. At a young age he decided to become a dancer. After studying at Columbia University , Cole, who had been blind in one eye since an accident in his childhood, received his dance training at the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts . He then studied with Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman . He devoted himself primarily to modern dance and performed several times on New York's Broadway from 1933 onwards . As a choreographer, he specialized in burlesque dance and jazz dance . In doing so, he let himself be drawn from ethnic dance styles, especially fromIndian Bharatanatyam , inspire. Over the years he established himself as one of the most important choreographers in American dance, influencing dancers such as Bob Fosse , Jerome Robbins , Gower Champion and Alvin Ailey .

However, he is best known for his collaboration with actresses Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe , for whom he put together choreographies for several films in Hollywood. These works include Hayworth's legendary striptease to Put the Blame on Mame in the film noir Gilda (1946) and Monroe's dance interludes in the film musical Blondes prefered (1953). In Vincente Minnelli's comedy film Why did I say yes? he was seen in 1957 alongside Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall as an actor.

He died in Hollywood in 1974 at the age of 62. In 1995 he received the American Choreography Award posthumously for his life's work. In his honor, the musical Heat Wave: The Jack Cole Project was set up in New York in 2012 , which was based on his choreographies in film.

Filmography (selection)

Awards

  • 1966: Nomination for the Tony Award in the category Best Choreography for Man of La Mancha
  • 1995: American Choreography Award for Lifetime Achievement (posthumous)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Anna Kisselgoff: Jack Cole Is Dead; A choreographer . In: The New York Times , February 20, 1974.
  2. ↑ cf. danceheritage.org
  3. ^ A b Brian Seibert: Following in the Footsteps of Gwen Verdon and Ann Miller . In: The New York Times , May 9, 2012.
personal data
SURNAME Cole, Jack
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Judge, John Ewing (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American dancer and choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH April 27, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH New Brunswick , New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH 17th February 1974
Place of death Hollywood , Los Angeles