Home » Gwen Verdon: the greatest show dancer of them all

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Gwen Verdon: the greatest show dancer of them all — 18 Comments

  1. Thanks for posting these, Neo! That number from, “Damn Yankees” is one of my favorites! I really like the musical on its own, but had always seen that number played straight; sultry and seductive. Verdon’s version broke me up the first time when I saw it, and I’ve watched a dozen times since discovering it. The first time I saw it I showed it to Mrs. Firefly, who also likes the musical, and like me, she was shocked. When I saw it I was reminded of her (also a ginger) and without even mentioning it she noticed right away. She dances around like that all the time. Mrs. Firefly is one of those people who is gorgeous, but doesn’t know it, so she’s uncomfortable in situations where her beauty is on display and uses humor to feel comfortable. She also has a great sense of humor. So, not only is it a great performance, but it holds a special place for me because of the connection with my wife.

  2. Loved the vaudeville clip; what was the show it came from?

    I fear that Ms. Allen was somewhat handicapped in the visual department by her costume, which might have come from a tag sale by Mr. Tumnus.

  3. Thanks for adding the “Fame” clip. I have no dance expertise but, when Verdon is side by side with the other dancer, even I can see what you mean about the extraordinary way she moved. Compared with the other dancer, even at 57, Verdon’s lightness and fluidity and easy grace is unmistakable.

  4. Today – Sass.
    Not so long ago – Class.

    (Perhaps why the Dems hate Trump so much – he’s got far far far more Sass yet they don’t show any better class, tho they claim both.)

    Every corpuscle and cell of Verdon’s body danced, particularly her upper body, every muscle moving in a way that seemed simultaneously sinuous, sexy, happy, enormously entertaining, and tongue-in-cheek at the same time. I’ve never seen anything like it. She may have been the most charming person who ever lived, at least on stage.

    As I was watching, the sexy-happy dancing was exiting, thrilling, sexy, happy. It does seems she loved dancing, and her love of it shows. Something I think may gay performers seem to have, a love of themselves plus a love of showing themselves off. Often fantastic.

  5. WRT the last piece” Verdon is good…..but is there a set up? The other dancer doesn’t get the good moves; only the difficult ones. Or she makes them look difficult.
    Verdon looks at the other dancer and smiles while dancing, which gives the appearance of casual, unstudied, spontaneous excellence.

    As neo has said wrt ballet, there are great dance moves and there are great athletic moves and the two are not the same.

    Looks to me as if the two categories were not divided equally.

    Not to say she wasn’t an excellent dancer, but this piece seemed….unfair.

  6. Richard Aubrey:

    Each dancer got the moves suited to her strengths and her style. Debbie Allen was a sharp, aggressive, percussive type of dancer, and this showcased that. She wasn’t fluid or graceful. If you look for other videos of her that’s what you’ll see. If Allen had been doing Verdon’s moves, it wouldn’t have looked like much, because it requires a certain style to pull it off. Verdon was the exemplar of her own particular style. The simplest things looked easy and great when she did them, and the complex things looked easy and great when she did them.

  7. All That Jazz

    Great movie. Along with Equus, A Little Romance, and The Silent Partner, one of the more underappreciated films of the 70s.

  8. The “Fosse/Verdon” series is well done and powerful, and it also elicits a strong sense of sorrow in both me and my wife. So much so that we always have to clear our heads by following up with a ballet DVD.

    Superior talent and creativity! They both gave the world fabulous entertainment and joy. But their personal stories are fraught with pain, as are practically all the great artists through history.

  9. “But their personal stories are fraught with pain, as are practically all the great artists through history.”

    I’m not convinced of the accuracy of the tortured artist archetype. Bach had a pretty normal life.

  10. No reflection on Debbie Allen’s talents as a dancer, but she tends to go over-the-top in her movements. Gwen is right, simplicity is the key. Make the audience focus on the little movements, and put in some stillness, some pauses to the action.

  11. Miss Verdon’s got lots more verve!

    And boy, does she sell the number.

    And did you see that high kick! –Why, nothin’ to it. 🙂

    Many thanks, especially for the last one.

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