Collins, Janet, 1917-2003

From Chronology: Janet Fay Collins; born March 2, 1917, New Orleans, Louisiana; parents: Alma de Lavallade Collins, Ernest Lee Collins; moves with family to Los Angeles, 1921; performs as part of adagio dance team, "Three Shades of Brown" with Al Dixon and Graham Fain, 1932-35; attends Los Angeles Junior College, 1935-36; performs in Lester Horton's "Le Sacre du Printemps," 1937; Federal Theater Project, 1938; "Swing Mikado," 1939; marries singer Charles Holland, 1939; travels with Eddie "Rochester" Anderson on tour ending in New York, 1940; joins Katherine Dunham Dance Company, 1941; appears with Talley Beatty in soundie, "Flamingo," 1941; divorced from Holland, 1942; appears in "Stormy Weather" with Dunham company, 1943; appears in revue, "Sweet'n Hot" with Talley Beatty, 1944; awarded a Rosenwald fellowship to work on choreography for a solo recital, 1945; performs in first full evening solo recital at Las Palmas Theatre, Los Angeles, 1947; moves to New York, appears in recital at 92nd Street Y, starts teaching at SAB, 1948-1949; appears in "Out of This World" on Broadway, 1950; wins Donaldson Award, makes Met debut in "Aida" and also appears in "Carmen," 1951; contract with Columbia Artists to appear in solo recitals, 1952-1955; performs in the Met as a member of the ballet company, 1952-1954; teaches at 92nd St. Y, 1955-6; marriage annulled by Catholic Church, 1957; teaches at St. Joseph's School for the Deaf, 1957; begins teaching at Marymount Manhattan College, 1958; begins teaching at Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, 1959; performs "Genesis" at Marymount; moves back to Los Angeles, 1969; begins teaching at Scripps College, 1970; becomes head of dance department, Mafundi Institute, 1971; choreography performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, 1974; moves to Seattle, late 1970s; choreographs "Carillon de Westminster," St. James Cathedral; moves to Fort Worth, Texas; dies May 28, 2003, Harris Methodist Hospital

Janet Collins; born March 2, 1917 in New Orleans; mother was a seamstress; father was a tailor; Janet moved with her parents to Los Angeles, California when she was four, 1921; began to study dance at the age of ten; first dance training: Los Angeles Catholic Community Center; parents urged her to study painting rather than dance; Collins studied art at Los Angeles City College and Los Angeles Art Center School; continued dance studies Collins; trained with Adolph Bohm, Carmelita Maracci, and Mia Slavenska; rejected by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo because she was Black when she auditioned for Leonide Massine, 1932; continued to perform as an adagio dancer in vaudeville shows, 1930s; was principal dancer for the Los Angeles musical production of “Run Little Chillun” and “The Mikado in Swing”; worked with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, 1940s; peared in the film, Thrill of Brazil, 1946; principal dancer in “Out of this World,” 1950; gave her first prima ballerina performance on November 3, 1948 at the Las Palmas Theater in Los Angeles to critical acclaim; first black prima ballerina to perform with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, 1951; remained at the Met until 1954; began teaching ballet, which included using dance in the rehabilitation of the handicapped; retired from performing and teaching, 1974; spent last years of her life painting religious subjects in her studio in Seattle; died on May 28, 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas at 86

Janet Collins; dancer; born March 2 1917; died May 28 2003, aged 86; born in New Orleans; brought up in Los Angeles; one of the most famous dancers in America during 1940s and 50s; fame was due to her beauty, technique and intense communicative power; first African-American artist to be under regular contract at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (four years before Marian Anderson sang at the Met); early dance classes were at a Catholic community centre; studied ballet with Carmelita Maracci, Mia Slavenska, and Adolph Bolm; studied modern dance with Lester Horton; became equally adept in classical ballet and modern dance; auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but was told that she would have to appear in white-face and refused; danced with Katherine Dunham's company, appearing with in Stormy Weather, 1943; performed a solo, choreographed for her by Jack Cole, in the film, Thrill Of Brazil (1946); worked with the experimental film-maker Maya Deren; gave gave her first solo concert in Los Angeles, November 1947; reached a wider audience when she was cast as Night in the Cole Porter musical Out Of This World in dances staged by Hanya Holm, 1950; Zachary Solov, the Metropolitan Opera's ballet master, who had seen her, persuaded Rudolf Bing, the Met's general manager, to hire her for the new production of Aida; Collins also appeared as principal dancer in Carmen, in the Dance Of The Hours in La Gioconda and in the Bacchanale in Samson Et Dalila; remained at the Met until 1954; taught classes at Balanchine's School of American Ballet, 1949; gradually she devoted herself to teaching; was a devout Catholic; choreographed dances for her students on liturgical themes; commissioned a ballet score, Genesis, from Heitor Villa-Lobos in 1954, but not performed until 1965 at Marymount Manhattan College in New York; moved back to California; choreographed dances for the San Francisco Opera production of Verdi's Nabucco, 1970; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre paid homage to Collins and Pearl Primus as pioneering black women in dance, 1974; Collins staged her Canticle Of The Elements for the company; keynote speaker at the Eighth International Conference of Blacks in Dance in Philadelphia, 1995; worked exclusively painting religious subjects in later life

Janet Collins, prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera House, 1950s; one of the few black women to become prominent in American classical ballet; taught dance, choreographed, performed on Broadway, and appeared on television; born in New Orleans; moved with family to Los Angeles at four; received first dance training at Catholic community center; studied primarily with Carmelita Maracci, one of the few ballet teachers who accepted black students; also studied with Lester Horton and Adolph Bolm; auditioned for Ballet Russe but turned down offer after being told she would either have to appear in special roles or appear in whiteface; danced with Katherine Dunham company and appeared with them in "Stormy Weather"; danced a solo choreographed by Jack Cole for the film, "The Thrill of Brazil"; worked with filmmaker Maya Deren; toured with Talley Beatty in nightclub act, sometimes billed as "Spanish" dancers, Rea and Rico de Gard; made New York debut in 1949 at 92nd Street Y in evening of her own choreography; style was an eclectic mix of ballet and modern dance; Broadway triumph in "Out of this World," choreography by Hanya Holm; became principal dancer at Metropolitan; performed in "Aida," the Dance of the Hours in "La Gioconda," the Bacchanale in "Samson and Delilah"; toured North America with her own dance group during 1950s; also taught dance in numerous academies, including SAB, Harkness House, and San Francisco Ballet School;died at 86 in Fort Worth;

Janet Collins; African American ballet dancer, choreographer, and teacher; performed on Broadway, in films, and appeared frequently on television; among the pioneers of black ballet dancing; one of the few classically trained Black dancers of her generation; born
Janet Faye Collins in New Orleans, March 7, 1917; family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was four; received first dance training at a Catholic community center; studied primarily with Carmelita Maracci, Lester Horton, Adolph Bolm, and Dorothy Lynda-ll; in 1932 auditioned with success for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but turned down offer because of racial discrimination; joined Dunham Company, 1940s; performed in a one-night program of her choregraphy at the Las Palmas Theater in Los Angeles, November 1948; moved to New York, 1948; appeared in Out of This World, receiving Donaldson Award, 1951; Zachary Solov, then the ballet master of the Metropolitan Opera invited her to dance with the troupe; was the first Black ballerina to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, 1951; became a member of the company, 1952-1955; taught modern dance at the School of American Ballet and Marymount Manhattan College; tired from performing and teaching, 1974; spent later years in Seattle, as an oblate in the Benedictine order and in painting;
moved to Fort Worth, 2000; died in 2003 at the age of 86, in Fort Worth, Texas

Janet Collins; Flamingo (Short) (1942), Dancer; Stormy Weather (1943), Dancer (uncredited); The Thrill of Brazil (1946), Specialty Dancer (uncredited); The Admiral Broadway Revue (TV Series), County Fair (1949) (performer: "After the Mardi Gras")

1920 United States Federal Census: Jeanet Collins, 2; home in 1920: New Orleans Ward 5, Orleans, Louisiana; street: St Ann; Ernest Collins, 43; Alma Collins, 30; Lois D Collins, 6; Betty Collins, 4

1930 United States Federal Census: Jeannet Collins; age 13; home in 1930: Los Angeles, California; 5338 Ascot Ave; household members: Earnest L Collins, 53; Alma Collins, 40; Louise Collins, 16; Betty Collins, 15; Rita Collins, 7; Alma D Collins, 6; Earnest Collins

1940 United States Federal Census: Janet Collins; age 20; home in 1940: 1171 East 48th Street; household members; Ernest L Collins, 63; Alma Collins, 51; Bettie Collins, 25; Rita Collins, 17; Alma Collins, 16; Earnest P Collins, 42

U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007: Janet Fay Collins; birth date:2 Mar 1917; birth place: New Orleans, Louisiana; death date: 28 May 2003; father: Ernest L Collins; mother: Alma Delavallade

California, African American Who's Who, 1948: Jeannette Collins; concert dancer; birth date: 2 Mar 1917; birth place: New Orleans, Louisiana; father: Ernest L Collins; mother: Alma DeLavallade; scholarship from Art Center School, Los Angeles; received Julius Rosenwald scholarship to study "Hebrew Classic and American Negro Dance"; worked with Ernest Bloch, UC Berkeley in research on a "Hebrew Biblical Suite of Dances"; made debut as concert dancer in Los Angeles, 1947; planning an itinerary of dance concerts to tour; hobby is oil painting and costume design; costumes used in performances from her designs

California, U.S., Voter Registrations, 1900-1968: Miss Janet Collins; residence date: 1948; street address: 3211 W 27th St; residence place: Los Angeles, California, USA; party affiliation: Democrat

U.S., Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1914-1966
Address in NYC, 1953: 164 W. 88th Street

U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2: Janet Fay T Collins; birth date: 7 Mar 1917; address: 910 Marion St Apt 508; residence place: Seattle, Washington, USA; zip code: 98104-1272