Paul Draper (dancer), Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Paul Draper (dancer)

American politician

Date of Birth: 25-Oct-1909

Place of Birth: Florence, Tuscany

Date of Death: 20-Sep-1996

Profession: dancer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio


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About Paul Draper (dancer)

  • Paul Draper (October 25, 1909 – September 20, 1996) was a noted American tap dancer and choreographer.
  • Born into an artistic, socially prominent New York family, the nephew of Ruth Draper was an innovator in the arts.
  • His passion and unique style led him to international stardom.
  • One signature piece was Sonata for Tap Dancer, danced without musical accompaniment.Draper was a natural dancer.
  • He took six tap dancing lessons at Tommy Nip's Broadway dance school in 1930 before performing solo in London in 1932.
  • He enrolled in the School of American Ballet and realized the possibilities of combining tap and classical ballet, forming his unique style.
  • By 1937, he was performing at such venues as the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel and the Rainbow Room.
  • Carnegie Hall followed, then Broadway and a film version of William Saroyan's Time of Your Life (1948).
  • In 1940, he teamed up with Larry Adler, a virtuoso harmonicist.
  • The two became a world-famous act, performing together until 1949.
  • They appeared as regulars at City Center in New York.
  • The act disbanded when they were blacklisted as Communist sympathizers.
  • In response to these false charges, Adler moved to the United Kingdom.
  • Draper moved to Geneva, Switzerland for three years. When he returned to the US, Draper performed on Broadway and in other venues from about 1954.
  • Draper taught in the theater department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1978 as the Andrew Mellon Chair in the School of Drama.
  • His live performances decreased during this period of teaching, but he did occasionally show up at American Dance Festival.

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