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December 2, 2008 12:08:37 PM CST

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Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92

Posted Dec 25, 07 6:20 PM CST in Arts & Living 

(Newser) – Choreographer Michael Kidd, creator of some of the most enduring dance steps on Broadway and in Hollywood, has died of cancer at age 92, the New York Times reports. Kidd, who won five Tonys and an honorary Oscar, is best known for his choreography in the 1954 film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and in the musicals Finian's Rainbow, Guys and Dolls, and Destry Rides Again. 

“I always use real-life gestures, and most of my dancing is based on real life,” said Kidd, who was born in Brooklyn to an immigrant barber and his wife. In high school, he attended a modern dance performance that sparked his lifelong passion. "Dancing should be completely understandable," he once said. "Every move, every turn should mean something, should be crystal clear to the audience."

Source New York Times

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Choreographer Michael Kidd poses backstage at the 69th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles in this March 1997 file photo. Kidd, whose joyously athletic dances for ballet, Broadway and Hollywood delighted...   (Associated Press)
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