The Elegance of Cyd Charisse
3/8/2012
Cyd Charisse would have turned 90 today, and we remember her marvelous dancing and timeless elegance. Originally published on Obit-Mag.com.
Cyd Charisse, the classically trained ballerina who danced on screen with grace and a va-va-voom rarely seen then or since, died Tuesday, June 17, 2008. She was 86. In memorable dance sequences from Singin' in the Rain, Brigadoon, Meet Me in Las Vegas and more, Charisse possessed the screen with her remarkable elegance and versatility, making any movement hers.
 In this 1992 file photo, Cyd Charisse is pictured in character for her role in "Grand Hotel, The Musical". Charisse, the long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday, June 17, 2008. She was 86. (AP Photo)
She cut a severe figure: jet black hair, long, energetic legs and flashing, dancing eyes. Without a doubt she was one of the greatest female dancers ever to grace the screen. Here she is at her best:
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
In an emerald green flapper dress and 1920s bob, Charisse dances circles around a nonplussed Gene Kelley.
Meet me in Las Vegas (1956)
Charisse at her stalking, vamping best, flying around screen.
The Band Wagon (1953)
In a jazz club, “Dem Bones Café” Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse enact an odd herky-jerky jig. Charisse’s entrance at the 1:00 mark in a show stopping red sequined dress is extraordinary.
Brigadoon (1954)
As a beautiful denizen of a mystical Scottish village, Charisse is at her most elegant. Skip ahead to the 3:00 minute mark.
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