Ilona Murai Kerman

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Ilona Murai Kerman
Born
Ellen Josephine Muray

July 19 1924
Passaic, New Jersey
DiedApril 8, 2020
New Hyde Park, New York
OccupationDancer
Years active1940s-1970s
RelativesNickolas Muray (uncle)

Ilona Murai Kerman (1923 or 1924 – April 8, 2020), born Ellen Josephine Muray, was an American dancer.

Early life

Ellen Josephine Muray was born in Passaic, New Jersey,[1] the daughter of Stephen Muray and Ethel Muray. Her parents were born in Hungary. Photographer Nickolas Muray was her uncle.[2] She attended Public School 89 in Queens, and began as a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in 1940, at age 15,[3] and described as "the youngest dancer ever taken into its ranks" at the time.[4]

Career

Murai danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 1940 to 1948, in productions of

Jacob's Pillow in Winesburg, Ohio (1958),[6][7] and in several Herbert Ross works, including the world premiere of Caprichos (1950) with the American Ballet Theatre.[8]

She made her Broadway debut in 1949, and appeared as a dancer in several shows until 1963, including Touch and Go (1949–1950), Bless You All (1950–1951), Paint Your Wagon (1951–1952),[9] John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953–1954), By the Beautiful Sea (1954),[10] Shangri-La (1956), Goldilocks (1958–1959),[11] and The Girl Who Came to Supper (1963–1964).[12] She danced in the European company of Oklahoma!, and on several early television programs.[13] She was active as a choreographer and taught dance on Long Island after 1970.[3]

Personal life

Ilona Murai married playwright and actor Sheppard Kerman (1928–1991) in 1957, in

New Hyde Park.[13] Her name was included on the front page of The New York Times on May 24, 2020, under the headline "U. S. Deaths Near 100,000, An Incalculable Loss".[14] She was included in the roster of deaths at the Episcopal Actors' Guild annual memorial service in November 2020.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Former Passaic Ballerina to Star with Liberace". The Herald-News. 1956-07-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ISBN 978-0-8118-5692-8
    .
  3. ^ a b Kernan, Christina (2020-04-21). "Ballet, Broadway and TV Dancer Ilona Murai Dies, 96". Dance Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  4. ^ "Queens Girl, Only 15, Enters Opera Ballet". Daily News. 1939-11-19. p. 137. Retrieved 2020-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Murai, Ilona [Dancer]". Met Opera Family Archives. Archived from the original on 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  6. ^ "Person: Ilona Murai". Jacobs Pillow Archive. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  7. ^ "'Winesburg, Ohio' Leads Jacob's Pillow Program". The Berkshire Eagle. 1958-07-05. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Caprichos". American Ballet Theatre. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  9. ^ CMJ (1953-01-20). "Stirring Musical Wins Applause". The Morning News. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Ilona Murai Joins 'By the Beautiful Sea'". Women's Wear Daily. September 29, 1954. p. 41 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ "Amusements: Leading Dancers Named Fok "Goldilocks"". Women's Wear Daily. August 1, 1958. p. 24 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ a b "Ilona Murai in Broadway Musical". The Herald-News. 1964-02-27. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Rieber, Anthony (April 28, 2020). "Ilona Murai Kerman: Dancer enjoyed successful career in show business". Newsday. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  14. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  15. ^ "The 2020 Annual Memorial List" The Eaglet 32(November 2020): 3.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ilona_Murai_Kerman&oldid=1179907161"