She is iconic. The epitome of style, grace and beauty, Carmen de Lavallade was destined for the stage although she would also be on the cover of fashion magazines or the runways of New York City, Paris or Milan. Her rise to prominence in a field usually reserved for Whites was in stark contrast to a civil rights movement still in its infancy. But through determination and talent that could not be denied, de Lavallade became more than a name on the marquee.
Pittsburghers will be afforded an opportunity to see, hear and watch Carmen de Lavallade share her story in her words when the Kelly Strayhorn Theater kicks off its 2014 Fall Season with “As I Remember It”—an intimate memoir of her life and legacy as dancer, actress, and choreographer. These performances are part of a short tour list of nine cities.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Los Angeles, de Lavallade (now 83) was inspired to pursue dance by the success of her cousin Janet Collins, the first African-American prima ballerina for the Metropolitan Opera in the early 1950s.
While attending Thomas Jefferson High School de Lavallade took formal dance lessons. It was during this time that she became friends with Alvin Ailey, whom she encourage to take his first dance class and eventually, to also pursue dance. After graduating high school (at the age of 16), de Lavallade received a scholarship to study dance with Lester Horton.
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