Gene Kelly is an American choreographer, dancer, and actor. He was one of the best choreographers of his time, he became the author of a special style. Kelly was a huge influence on the film industry of his day, proving that men can excel in dance.
Gene Kelly's name is inextricably linked to the art of film dance. In Hollywood musical films of the forties, he became a leading figure. Based on ballet, Kelly's unique style has had a major impact on the film industry.
Dance and cinema
Eugene Curran Kelly was born in Pittsburgh on August 23, 1912. The father of five children who grew up in the family loved sports. He flooded the ice rink in winter and everyone got the opportunity to skate. The children were looking forward to this time.
From the age of fifteen, Jin was engaged in semi-professional hockey. He liked football, gymnastics and baseball. The boy's mother loved theater. She became the initiator of her son's attending dances. At first, Jin did not want to listen: his peers made fun of him. However, the boy soon discovered that girls prefer those who can move. The opinion about dancing has changed a lot.
In 1929, Kelly entered Pennsylvania College. The family lost all their savings due to the Great Depression. From 1929 the situation in the country worsened for ten years. The student returned home. He moved to the University of Pittsburgh to spend less on food and housing. The young man worked part-time to pay for his studies: he dug ditches, worked at gas stations.
Jin's mother got a job as a secretary. She also worked part-time at a local dance school. As a result, the woman had the idea to open her own choreographic studio. As a result, everything worked out. The success was enormous. After Jin graduated from university, he took up teaching dance. The case lasted six years.
In 1937, Kelly moved to New York. The dancer thought that he had enough talent to find a good job there too. A place in the theater was offered to him in the first week of his stay. The young dancer had to be on television. He moonlighted as a host. Producers from Hollywood drew attention to him.
After watching the show, Kelly was offered a contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Gene signed him and immediately landed the lead role in For Me and My Girlfriend opposite Judy Garland in 1942.
Kinotantsy
The 1944 painting "Cover Girl" was a breakthrough for the artist. Film critics praised his dance with a mirror, that is, with himself. The complex number was named "Alter-ego". The hero dances with himself, but as if against himself.
The production turned Kelly into a star and allowed him to sign a contract with MGM. The popularity of Jin's choreographed dance numbers grew more and more. Elements of this art were included in films with his participation without fail.
Experiments continued in Raise Anchors, An American in Paris, and Invitation to Dance. The first productions were based on the well-established principles of musical cinema. In 1946, the artist was first nominated for an Oscar for "Raise the Anchors". He danced in a picture with the mulhero, Jerry from the popular animated series.
Kelly mostly starred in musicals. He created his own choreographic system. In it, the novice dancer took into account the setting of the camera and its movement. The result is an innovative American dance technique. It differed markedly from the usual formal and ballet styles of European dances.
Gene's version looked sportier and more energetic.
In 1952, Kelly's real masterpiece came out. His Singing in the Rain became the artist's finest hour. The comedy of the late twenties told about the transition to talkie.
An umbrella dance with rain has become a symbol of happiness and a dream come true.
All his famous numbers Jin put only himself. He enthusiastically used special effects, applied the latest ideas. The choreographer tried to create something on the screen that no one else had done before he appeared, he constantly brought in new elements.
Family life
Together with Natalie Wood, the actor starred in 1960. The romantic drama Reap the Storm by Marjorie Morningstar was a good continuation of his career. Interest in musicals gradually diminished. In the sixties, it faded away. Kelly returned to television. He starred for programs, worked as a director, was a producer, played the main character in a film for children. For this work, Gene won an Emmy.
The artist's last landmark work is called "Xanadu". The film was shot in 1980. Kelly has received three dozen various awards. There are more than thirty films in his film portfolio. In 1941, Gene married Betsy Blair. The family had a daughter, Kerry. The husband and wife parted in 1957.
New darling, dancer and actress Joan Coyne. became the wife of the performer in 1960. Two children were born in marriage, Bridget and Tim. The lovers parted only with the death of Joan. The last marriage of the actor was the marriage at a very mature age to student Patricia Ward in 1990.
Jin received an Honorary Film Academy Award in 1951. His talent as a singer, actor, dancer and director was recognized. He received the 1985 Lifetime Achievement award. In 1994, the country's president awarded Kelly the National Medal of Arts.
Merit
The famous figure staged Madonna's dances during her tour in 1993. The choreographer and actor became one of the most influential filmmakers. His experiments with lighting, technology and cameras led to the birth of a whole new genre.
Jin became one of the first performers to use split screens, live action with animation, double images.
He perfectly integrated dance into cinema. Thanks to him, some of the details of the dance became attractive to the public.
The choreographer's creations had a special charm. Only thanks to the great master, choreography has ceased to be perceived as a woman's occupation.
A lot of dance numbers were staged, but it was Kelly who became one of the first to combine dance and cinema.
In 1996, on February 2, the famous actor passed away. He was eighty-three.
