Carmen de Lavallade (born March , ) is an American actress, dancer and
choreographer.Carmen de Lavallade was born in Los Angeles, California,
on March , , to Creole parents from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was
raised by her aunt, Adele, who owned one of the first African-American
history bookshops on Central Avenue. De Lavallade's cousin, Janet
Collins, was the first Creole/African descendant prima ballerina at
the Metropolitan Opera.De Lavallade began studying ballet with Melissa
Blake at the age of . After graduation from Thomas Jefferson High
School in Los Angeles, she was awarded a scholarship to study dance
with Lester Horton.De Lavallade became a member of the Lester Horton
Dance Theater in where she danced as a lead dancer until her
departure for New York City with Alvin Ailey in . Like all of Horton's
students, de Lavallade studied other art forms, including painting,
acting, music, set design and costuming, as well as ballet and other
forms of modern and ethnic dance. She studied dancing with ballerina
Carmelita Maracci and acting with Stella Adler. In , de Lavallade made
her Broadway debut partnered with Alvin Ailey in Truman Capote's
musical House of Flowers (starring Pearl Bailey).
choreographer.Carmen de Lavallade was born in Los Angeles, California,
on March , , to Creole parents from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was
raised by her aunt, Adele, who owned one of the first African-American
history bookshops on Central Avenue. De Lavallade's cousin, Janet
Collins, was the first Creole/African descendant prima ballerina at
the Metropolitan Opera.De Lavallade began studying ballet with Melissa
Blake at the age of . After graduation from Thomas Jefferson High
School in Los Angeles, she was awarded a scholarship to study dance
with Lester Horton.De Lavallade became a member of the Lester Horton
Dance Theater in where she danced as a lead dancer until her
departure for New York City with Alvin Ailey in . Like all of Horton's
students, de Lavallade studied other art forms, including painting,
acting, music, set design and costuming, as well as ballet and other
forms of modern and ethnic dance. She studied dancing with ballerina
Carmelita Maracci and acting with Stella Adler. In , de Lavallade made
her Broadway debut partnered with Alvin Ailey in Truman Capote's
musical House of Flowers (starring Pearl Bailey).
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.