Monday, January 23, 2017

Who's Your Favorite, Kelly or Astaire?

I love the old Hollywood musicals and I enjoy the dance numbers the best. I'm a big fan of both Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire! Although Astaire appears more graceful and Kelly more athletic, I don't think I could ever say I liked one more than the other because they were both great. For a real opinion on their dancing, check this out from dancer Cyd Charisse's autobiography The Two of Us:
Cyd Charisse
"As one of the handful of girls who worked with both of those dance geniuses, I think I can give an honest comparison. In my opinion, Kelly is the more inventive choreographer of the two. Astaire, with Hermes Pan's help, creates fabulous numbers – for himself and his partner. But Kelly can create an entire number for somebody else ... 
Gene Kelly
I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's ... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger of the two. When he lifts you, he lifts you! ... To sum it up, I'd say they were the two greatest dancing personalities who were ever on screen. But it's like comparing apples and oranges. They're both delicious."
Fred Astaire
Delicious is a great way to put it! Who do you like best, Kelly or Astaire?

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

5 comments:

William Kendall said...

I was never fond of the dance genre in films, but I've seen these actors in different genre roles, and liked their work.

Maria McKenzie said...

Yes, they were great in non-dancing roles too!

Norma said...

I agree with William. Never was a big fan of musicals, but both were talented actors.

Maria McKenzie said...

They were both quite versatile!

Sweet Sue said...

Gene Kelly. Both were great dancers and Kelly was a great choreographer. But when it comes to sex appeal, there's no contest. As Professor Bassinger once said, "You give your heart to Fred Astaire but you save your body for Gene Kelly.