Keep on Dancing

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.

Happy Birthday to dance legend, Marge Champion— still the fairest of them all at age 95!

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

Dancing on Air

With Snow White model Marge Champion at the press 
conference for "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs: 
The Creation of a Classic" at Norman Rockwell Museum, 
June 7, 2013. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic is a hit! We had a successful opening last weekend, and our Enchanted Evening Gala was enjoyed by all who attended. I was asked to help out with an auction held during the event− as a performer, it made me conscious of how to speak effectively from the diaphragm, and in an engaging way in order to entice potential bidders. There is an art to this public speaking thing, for sure... but I did alright.

One person who seems to have mastered the skill is Marge Champion, the famed dancer/choreographer who also served as the live reference model for Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She was our guest of honor during our gala event, and also joined us for a well-attended press preview to talk about her experience working on the groundbreaking film. I was impressed by her energy and spark, and her words were often inspiring (hope I'm like this when I reach 93). During the gala, Sarah I and took the dance floor and so did Marge... I must admit, there was a part of me that wanted to impress the award-winning performer with my own dancing ability (here's a little video my co-worker filmed of us; you can also see Marge Champion waltzing away in the background).  

During my last post I mentioned my planned interview with the Berkshire program Well Talk Radio about the exhibition. I thought it turned out well... here is a link to the segment, where you can also hear portions of my April interview with Marge Champion. And... without further delay, here is a very quick clip I put together from that same interview... I hope to put a longer piece together when I can find the time... right?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic will be on view through October 27, 2013 at Norman Rockwell Museum.

Related Links:

"'Snow White' in the Press," Norman Rockwell Museum website

Enchanted Evening Gala photos (includes shots taken by your's truly), Norman Rockwell Museum Facebook page

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho!

"Snow White Dancing with Dopey and Sneezy. Doc, Happy, Sleepy
Playing Music." Disney Studio Artist Reproduction, cel setup; ink and acrylic
on cellulose acetate. Courtesy Walt Disney Animation Research Library. ©Disney.

Back from a relaxing and adventurous weekend in the Adirondacks... good to get out in the fresh air and countryside. Now I'm busy preparing for the opening of the exhibition, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic this weekend at Norman Rockwell Museum. We have already received a couple good articles in The Boston Globe and Berkshire Eagle, and a Friday press preview is starting to fill up nicely.

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) I will be talking about the exhibition on the radio show,
Well Talk with Avi Dresner. This Berkshire radio program focuses on health-related subjects, so we will be looking at the film's connection with dancer Marge Champion, who served as a live reference model for Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film. The host plans on airing portions of my videotaped interview with Champion, which was conducted in early April− this seems perfect, seeing as she lives part-time in the Berkshires. You can listen to the interview at 9 a.m. ET on WSBS Radio in the Berkshires, or online at www.wsbs.com

Also in the works: a couple interviews about the Museum that I conducted for the Russian Television Network of America, and WRGB-TV, based in my new home of Schenectady, New York. Apparently WRGB is the oldest TV station in the country, but more interesting for me is the fact that my Mom used to sing on the station when she was a teenager! More info soon... heigh ho, heigh ho...

Related Links:

www.welltalkradio.com

"New family fun programming at the Rockwell begins with Family Day opening of Snow White," Berkshire Family Focus, May 30, 2013

Fairest of Them All

Switching gears from performing to interviewing, over the past couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of getting to know acclaimed dancer/choreographer Marge Champion. In the 1940s and 50s, she teamed up with her then-husband Gower Champion to become quite an successful dance team, performing on Broadway, TV, and such MGM musicals as Showboat and Lovely To Look At (here's a beautiful routine from the latter film):



One of Ms. Champion's other big claims to fame was serving as the live action model for Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. "Uncle Walt" and the other Disney animators filmed her movements as a reference, which they later used to bring Snow White to life. Only a teenager at the time, it was Champion's first big break: every scene you see of the character in the 1937 film was actually based on her movements, many of which were improvised.

Reference photos of Marge Champion, who at the age of 14, began
serving as a live reference model for Walt Disney's "Snow White and The
Seven Dwarfs." Photos courtesy Marge Champion. ©Disney.

Dancer Marge Champion in New York.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell
Museum. ©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

This summer Norman Rockwell Museum is hosting the traveling exhibition, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic, which celebrates the 75th anniversary of this classic 1937 film that is beloved by viewers of all ages. Organized by The Walt Disney Family Museum, the exhibition explores the development of the animated masterpiece− from conceptual drawings and character studies, to watercolor backgrounds and colorful cels that brought Disney's ambitious project to life. 

As you can imagine, Marge Champion has considerable insight into the creation of the film, and I had the exciting opportunity to visit with her at her homes in New York City and the Berkshires (she has a part-time residence in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where our Museum is located) to conduct a videotaped interview and learn more. She had plenty of interesting stories to tell, including the fact that she went on provide model reference for Disney's Pinocchio (the Blue Fairy) and Fantasia (some key insight and ideas for the dancing hippos). She was even married for a short time to Art Babbitt, one of Disney's early animators (credited with the creation of Goofy). I have to thank my friends at CTSB-TV, who allowed me to use their Sony AVCHD camera to conduct the interview− the recording looked great, and I look forward to sharing the material in the coming months to help promote the exhibition.

Jeremy meets Snow White (Marge Champion).
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Of course I also asked her about her career in dance and connection with the Berkshires− she served for a long time as a board member of Jacob's Pillow, the dance festival that initially attracted me to the area. I think the most inspiring thing about Ms. Champion is that she is 93, but you would never believe it. She's mentally sharp and in great shape, reinforcing the idea that keeping your mind and body active over the years has its benefits.

The Museum will be honoring Champion as the guest of honor at a special opening gala for the exhibition on the evening of Saturday, June 8. I look forward to meeting her again at that time, and maybe learning a few new dance steps. I also look forward to seeing the art in the exhibition− my father was a big Walt Disney fan (he even got the animator's autograph back in the day), so here's another opportunity I'm sure he would be amazed to learn I was involved with.



Related Links: 

"The Real-Life Snow White," CBS News, October 13, 2009

"Snow White: Marge Champion, a Model Princess," Animated Views, October 7, 2009