Talley Beatty

Talley Beatty (1918-1995), born in Chicago, became a principal dancer with the Katherine Dunham Company at age 16. After touring with the Dunham Company for five years and appearing in film and Broadway shows including Cabin in the Sky, Pins and Needles, and Blue Holiday, Beatty formed his own company and toured throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada. He was nominated for a 1977 Best Choreographer Tony Award for Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. Dance companies around the world have mounted his ballets, including Dance Theatre of Harlem, Batsheva, Köln Opera Ballet, Boston Ballet, Stockholm Dance Theatre, and Ballet Hispánico. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed several of his major works.