With a classy name to match the elegance of her dancing, this post considers one of the most dynamic female dancers to appear on film.
There’s some debate as to whether Cyd’s year of birth was 1921 or 1922, but she took ballet lessons from the age of six and worked with the Ballet Russe in her teens. One of her earliest sizeable roles was in 1946’s The Harvey Girls, where her sweet innocence hardly hinted at her true capabilities. Cyd really came to prominence after her turn as a gangster’s moll in 1952’s Singing In The Rain. Although extremely attractive, hers was a face like a blank canvas upon which various striking “looks” could be painted.
Eugene Loring and Hermes Pan choreographed the 1957 film Silk Stockings which was Cyd’s final major musical. She had an effortless style of dancing, and an uncanny ability to tell a story through graceful precise movements. In the title solo, set to Cole Porter’s magnificent music, her character Ninotchka Yoschenko learns to enjoy the pleasure of being aesthetically beautiful.
Firstly upturning the photograph of her Communist leader before tentatively embarking on this journey towards capitalism. Eyes downcast, clearly torn between Soviet life and the future possibilities offered by western Paris. We see her gently fingering and admiring the silk stockings that she’d hidden beneath a seat cushion. They’re the antithesis of her drab green dress and black tights and shoes. She’s completely transfixed by this delicate item, it’s an incredibly sensual sequence.
We sense she’s decided to take a risk and embrace change. The longing way she caresses the dazzling shoes, daydreaming about the luxurious lifestyle they represent. Her feeling of glee is obvious as she glimpses her stockinged leg in a full length mirror. And when she confidently emerges wearing both stockings, we know she’s ready for decadent experiences.
Cyd’s expressive limbs continue to glide across the furniture and floor, trying on various garments, searching for the ideal. Changing into pretty clothes behind a net curtain is indicative of her hitherto repressed existence. It’s filmed as a highly erotic close up of her legs. The unveiling reminds me of an ugly duckling style transformation. Her initial embarrassment is replaced by an acceptance that she looks stunning, which is enhanced by adding jewellery and perfume.
Ninotchka, now fully dressed, saunters like a cat feeling pleased with itself and knows she deserves happiness for its own sake. By the end of the number we’re presented with a dramatically altered woman! Cyd was a wonderful dancer who contributed so much to dance in film. The phrase poetry in motion describes her dancing perfectly. I feel her absolute brilliance doesn’t get praised as much as it should.