Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker (1906 - 1975)

American born French dancer, singer, actor;

her career was centred primarily in France

where she headlined Les Folies Bergère in Paris

during the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties;

in Nazi-occupied France, she aided the

French Resistance and Allied intelligence services;

France later awarded her the Resistance Medal, the Croix de Guerre,

and named her a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour;

she adopted 12 multiracial children and raised them

in France, calling them her Rainbow Tribe.

Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp (1941 -     )

American dancer, choreographer, and author;

a pioneer of modern dance, her company Twyla Tharp Dance has

extensively toured the world since 1965, performing original works

set to classical, jazz, and contemporary pop music;

her many awards include 2 Emmies, a Tony, 19 honorary doctorates,

the 2004 National Medal of the Arts and the

2008 Kennedy Center Honors.

Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan (1877 - 1927)

American-born, later French and Soviet,

dancer, choreographer, and free spirit;

a pioneer of modern contemporary dance;

her innovative and distinctive dance style

emphasized free and natural movements, athleticism,

bare feet, loose tunics, and flowing scarves.

Anna Pavlova

Anna Pavlova (1881 - 1931)

Russian prima ballerina and principal artist of the

Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev;

most recognized for creating the role of The Dying Swan;

after forming her own ballet company, she was the first ballerina

to tour the world, including South America, India,

Mexico and Australia/New Zealand where the meringue-based dessert

named Pavlova was created in her honour.

Chita Rivera

Chita Rivera (1933 - 2024)

American actor, singer, and dancer;

originator of Broadway leading roles in West Side Story,

Chicago, and Kiss of the Spider Woman;

winner of two Tony awards for Best Actress in a Musical

as well as a Tony for Lifetime Achievement (2018);

the first Latino American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009).

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson (1966 -     )

American singer, songwriter, actor, and dancer;

recipient of many awards, including five Grammies;

inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2019);

currently finishing up a concert residency in Las Vegas.

Veronica Tennant

Veronica Tennant (1946 -     )

Canadian producer, director, filmmaker and

former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada for 25 years;

recipient of the Governor-General's Performing Arts Award

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (2004), Canada's highest honour

in the performing arts.

Jean Butler

Jean Butler (1971 -     )

American stepdancer, Irish dancer, choreographer, and actor;

originator of the principal female role in the Irish dance

theatrical production and international sensation, Riverdance (1994-1997).

Tate McRae

Tate McRae (2003 -     )

Canadian dancer and singer-songwriter

Lena Horne

Lena Horne (1917 - 2010)

American singer, actor, dancer

and civil rights activist

Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul (1962 -     )

American singer, dancer,

choreographer, actor and

media personality