Colorful Memories

Young Beverly Gray (far right) being taught by Carmen de Lavallade.

A year ago January, the day before I gave a workshop in L.A., I had a wonderful, long lunch in Santa Monica with author Beverly Gray. We discussed some book ideas she had, then the topic turned to her childhood in Los Angeles. She started talking about how for years she had taken dance lessons at the Lester Horton Dance Theater under the tutelage of its star performer, Carmen de Lavallade. So unlike most little Jewish girls then, Beverly's idol was a dark-skinned ballerina--one of the first in the U.S.

I said to Beverly, "That's the story you should write!" She did, and after many months it's finally seen print--in today's L.A. Times: Big lessons for a little ballerina.