Between International Days

This year's International Dance Day is behind us, and International Nude Day is roughly a month away. With this post, we look both forward and backwards.

It's International Dance Day!

It's that day again where we celebrate the grace and beauty of dancers.

 

 
 Dancers sacrifice a great deal for their craft. Some of them spend so much time on their feet, dancing, that they forget how to properly sit down.

 
 
 

And then there are those who dance so much they forget how to walk properly.

 

But we appreciate that they are willing to go through such grueling workouts and difficult lifestyle... and we are thankful for all that they give us. Especially on April 29 for the Shades of Gray picture show!

 

 Meanwhile, Bianca Scaglione was running majorly late, but still put in an appearance!

(And you can pass the time between now and next International Dance Day by watching the fun videos on Bianca's YouTube Channel. Things are in color over there, but don't be frightened!)

International Dance Day with Leslie Caron

Born in 1931 to a chemist father and a retired ballerina mother, Leslie Caron began taking dance lessons at the age of 11. Dedication to the craft and natural ability caused her to be counted among the best ballerinas in France by the time she was 16. When she was 18, she was "drafted" into films by Gene Kelly, who wanted a top-notch co-star for the musical/dance extravaganza "An American in Paris" (1951). 

Caron's screen presence and acting abilities were as remarkable as her dancing, and she soon became as big a star in Hollywood musicals as she had been on the stages of Paris. She spent the 1950s and 1960s in big-budget musicals. As the 1970s dawned, she made a successful transition into dramatic roles and was among the few musical stars who kept her career growing after that film genre fell out of favor.

For more than eight decades, Caron has graced us with her poise and beauty and talent on the big screen, on television, and on stage (with her most recent role being in the Swedish made-for-TV movie "Written on Water" (2020).

We're present this small gallery of images in celebration of Caron, as well as International Dance Day.

It's International Dance Day, but ...

 ... who let the dancers out? Who? Who? Who?

 

They all seem happy, except for Brigitte Bardot. Maybe she'll come back to Shades of Gray soon. As for the rest, we're sure they will adapt just fine to life in a wild!

In Observance of International Dance Day...

 ... we bring you a line-up of ballerinas from different nations!

Valeska Miller of the United States of America...

... Nina Theilade of Denmark..

... Yvonne Craig of the United States...

... Leslie Caron of France...

... Maria Tallchief of the United States...

... and Oksana Bondareva of the Ukraine.

We WOULD have featured last year's International Dance Day's star Brigitte Bardot (of France), but she was still getting ready by the time we had to make this post. 

You can also see one of this year's featured dancers, Valeska Miller, in the brand-new horror short film, "The Ballerina", at Terror Titans. Click here!

It's International Dance Day!

Today, we celebrate dancers--and specifically Brigitte Bardot, who trained as a ballerina before she turned to modeling, acting, and, ultimately, social activism. Here are some photos from a shoot she did as a teenager where her dance training and modeling career intersected.

And just for good measure, here's a shot of Bardot from when she was an actual ballerina.

(Bardot will return to these pages again later this year, on a Firearms Friday and at least one Picture Perfect Wednesday.)