Talley Beatty

Talley Beatty (1923-1995)

Born in Shreveport, LA, he grew up in Chicago. At age 14, he began to study dance with Katherine Dunham, and trained in her style that was based on going back to the roots of African and Caribbean dance. Between 1937 and 1946 he danced with her company as well as with other troupes and solo performances. In addition, he studied with Martha Graham but declined her offer to join her company. In 1945, he appeared in Maya Dern’s film A Study in Choreography for Camera. A year later, he moved to New York where he performed in Broadway musicals and danced in various productions.
In 1949, Beatty established his own troupe, Tropicana, which achieved impressive success and toured around the world until he disbanded it in 1955. Ever since then, he continued to choreograph for various troupes worldwide, including the Boston Ballet, Ballet Hispanico in New York and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, as well as Broadway musicals. Beatty was also known for collaborating with jazz musician Duke Ellington, and set several of his dances to his music.
In 1951, Beatty arrived with his troupe in Israel for a tour that had originally been planned for three weeks, but was extended to four months. During this time he became acquainted with Israeli dance, and was particularly impressed with Inbal Dance Theater. That same year, he choreographed Fire in the Mountains – a dance on the life of Jewish settlers in Israel – for Gertrud Kraus’s Israeli Ballet Theater. In 1968 he returned to Israel, this time to teach his choreographies The Road of the Phoebe Snow and Come and Get the Beauty of It while It’s Hot. In 1973, he choreographed the original dance Dome of Heaven for Batsheva.
Beatty’s honors include the 1993 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement.

Talley Beatty passed away in New York in 1995.