Beatty, Talley, 1918-1995

Talley Beatty (22 December 1918 – 29 April 1995) was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but moved with his family as a child to Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest African American choreographers. After studying with Katherine Dunham and being associated with her company for several years, Beatty went on do solo work and choreograph his own pieces, which center on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans.

Beatty began studying dance with Katherine Dunham in Chicago during the 1930s. He learned ballet and also trained in Dunham's technique, which she developed from her studies of African and Caribbean dance forms through her anthropology fieldwork in the West Indies. Around 1937, Beatty became a member of Dunham’s company, touring widely and performing with them on Broadway in Cabin and the Sky (1940), as well as several concerts and revues. Following the filming of Stormy Weather (1943), he left the Dunham troupe to continue his studies in New York City, studying with Martha Graham and continuing with ballet. Beatty encountered racial discrimination in his ballet classes; he was forced to attend in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent studio.

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