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| Marge Champion dances with Norton Owen, Director of Preservation, Jacob's Pillow, at Norman Rockwell Museum's June 2013 gala. Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved. |
I had the great fortune of meeting this Astaire Award-winner a year ago, in connection with Norman Rockwell Museum's exhibition, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic. At age 14, Marge served as a live model for the lead character in Walt Disney's first feature-length, animated feature, which was something of a risk for the animator at the time. Her expressive moments can be seen in the groundbreaking film, as well as subsequent Disney animated features (Pinocchio, Fantasia), however her fairytale was just beginning—she went on to a highly successful career as a dancer/performer, appearing on stage and screen, including a popular series of movie musicals with then-husband Gower Champion in the 1950s.
In April of 2013, I visited Marge at her apartment in New York City, to conduct an interview for the Museum about her showbiz experiences. Needless to say, it was a great pleasure, and this past June I received "honorable mention" from the New England Museum Association Publications Competition Awards as one of the designers responsible for the marketing/pr materials for the exhibition, which included an edit of the video. The true honor, however, was being able to get to know this inspiring artist, with an age-defying spirit: "keep on dancing" is her advice... and I am taking note: watch for my moves in this fun promo video that my Museum colleagues and I took part in for Berkshire Visitors Bureau:
Related Links:
"Dancing on Air," blog post, June 17, 2013
"Fairest of Them All," blog post, April 7, 2013
