Pitt’s
Gene Kelly Centennial Celebration To Be Hosted by Film Historian Patricia Ward
Kelly October 25
Free event marks Pitt’s 225th anniversary and 100th anniversary of birth of
Pitt alum and legendary dancer, director, choreographer, actor, and singer Gene
Kelly
PITTSBURGH—One
of the University of Pittsburgh’s most renowned alumni—the special Academy
Award-honored dancer, director, choreographer, actor, and singer Gene
Kelly—will be the focus of Pitt’s Gene Kelly Centennial Celebration at 8 p.m.
Oct. 25 in the Seventh-Floor Auditorium of Pitt’s Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave.,
Oakland.
Film historian Patricia Ward Kelly, Gene Kelly’s widow and the leading
authority on the cinema and stage legend, will deliver Pittsburgh and
Pitt-centered commentary on her late husband’s life and career as she shares
classic moments from his films and her unique insights with the audience. Mrs.
Kelly recently has given sold-out presentations on Gene Kelly in Los Angeles
and New York City.
The event is free to the public, but because seating is limited, RSVP accepts
only are required by e-mailing GK100@pitt.edu
or calling 412-624-4147.
Gene Kelly earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University
of Pittsburgh in 1933. While at Pitt, he became involved with the University’s
Cap and Gown Club and later served as its director from 1934 to 1938. He taught
dance in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood and choreographed musicals at
the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Nixon Theater. Kelly enrolled in Pitt’s School of
Law but left soon after to concentrate on teaching dance.
Kelly is credited with bringing a particularly American style of dance to
Hollywood musicals and for changing the look of dance on film through his
revolutionary innovations with the camera, choreography, and animation. Kelly’s
iconic dance sequence from the classic 1952 film musical Singin’ in the Rain,
in which he dances up and down a rain-drenched street twirling an umbrella and
splashing in puddles, is considered by many to be the most memorable dance
performance on film.