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Eugene Loring
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eugene Loring (August 2, 1911-August 30, 1982) was an American ballet dancer and choreographer, best remembered as the choreographer of Billy the Kid (1938).
After coming to New York City in 1934, Loring--whose real name was Leroy Kerpestein--danced with and choreographed for American Ballet Caravan and American Ballet Theatre. As a choreographer, Loring's most successful work was Billy the Kid, which has frequently been compared to Agnes de Mille's Rodeo. Like Rodeo, Billy the Kid has a score by Aaron Copland and draws on the mythology of the American West; unlike de Mille's ballet, however, Billy the Kid offers a bleak vision of the frontier, with a protagonist characterized by one recent critic as a "murderous psychopath" [1]. None of Loring's other ballets achieved Billy the Kid's popularity, however, and it is the only one that remains a regular part of the contemporary repertoire.
Loring had an extensive career in Hollywood, choreographing for both film and television. The dancers he worked with most frequently included Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, and James Mitchell. His most significant film credits are Silk Stockings (which he had previously choreographed on Broadway), Yolanda and the Thief, Ziegfeld Follies, The Toast of New Orleans, Deep in My Heart, and Meet Me in Las Vegas.
An influential teacher, Loring was the first chairman of the dance department at the University of California, Irvine.
[1] Eugene Merrett, "American Ballet Theatre: ‘Pas De Deesses’ ‘Other Dances’, ‘Billy The kid’, ‘Diversion of Angels’".