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Fred Benjamin
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Born: September 8, 1944
Occupation: dancer, choreographer, instructor
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Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Fred Benjamin began dancing at age
four at Elma Lewis' School of Fine Arts in Roxbury. Benjamin danced with Talley Beatty from 1963 until 1966, when the
company folded. Two years later, he started his own New York-based Fred
Benjamin Dance Company, which existed, largely without funding, for 20
years. Like most African-American choreographers of the time, Benjamin's work
was compared to that of Alvin Ailey, but Benjamin modeled himself after
his idol, Beatty. The group movement in "Parallel Lines," the
emphasis on entrances in a work such as "Our Thing," the signature
sassiness of many other works -- all reflected Beatty's influence. Benjamin added ballet to Beatty's contemporary, energized style and
helped popularize the genre known as ballet-jazz. He introduced many
inner-city youth to dance via the Harlem Cultural Council's annual
DanceMobile series, but his greatest gift may have been in teaching. At
New York's Clark Center for the Performing Arts and Steps studios,
Benjamin influenced many young dancers. Benjamin has also worked extensively in theatrical dance. He has taught
in the Netherlands, worked in summer stock, and danced with the June
Taylor Dancers. On Broadway he worked with Gower Champion and Michael
Bennett and performed in such hits as "Hello, Dolly!" and
"Promises, Promises."
-- Julinda Lewis-Ferguson
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Emery, Lynne Fauley. "Concert Dance:
1950Today." In BLACK DANCE FROM 1619 TO TODAY. Princeton, N.J.,
1988, p. 305.
Source Citation: "Fred Benjamin."
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY
. 5 vols. Macmillan, 1996. Reprinted by permission of Gale Group.
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