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| Photo: Ebony Repertory Theater |
TVMusic Network remembers legendary dancer and actress Paula Kelly. As a dancer, Ms. Kelly performed as a soloist for Martha Graham, Donald MacKayle and Alvin Ailey.
Her film credits include Sweet Charity directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse; “The Andromeda Strain,” “Uptown Saturday Night” and “Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, “to name a few.
Ms. Kelly received multiple Emmy Award nominations for her work on The Richard Pryor Show, Night Courtand The Women of Brewster Place. Ms. Kelly’s other television credits include The Strollin’ 20’s, which was produced by Sidney Poitier; BBC’s presentation of Peter Pan (co-choreography with Michael Kidd); New York, New York with Gene Kelly; and We Love You Madly with Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones.
She graced the stage in countless theatre productions including Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope at the Mark Taper Forum for which she won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for “Best Supporting Actress;” the West Coast Premiere of Sophisticated Ladies opposite Gregory Hines at The Shubert Theatre; and Stevie Wants to Play the Blues directed by Simon Callow at L.A.T.C. In 2009, Ms. Kelly came out of retirement to join the cast of Ebony Repertory Theatre’s production of Crowns by Regina Taylor, which played at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center and later moved to Pasadena Playhouse.
Check out Paula with Shirley Maclaine and Chita Rivera in a scene from “Sweet Charity.”
