Hermes Pan
The choreography of Hermes Pan has been an integral part of the American movie musical. Born Hermes Panagiotopolous in 1909 in Memphis, Pan shortened his name for the start of his career as a dancer on Broadway. On Broadway, he was teamed up with Ginger Rogers on the show Top Speed in 1929. Pan met Fred Astaire when Pan was assigned to choreograph the film, Flying Down to Rio (1933). Pan's body had an uncanny resemblance to Astaire's. In addition, they shared a similar sense of style, grace, and understanding of dance possibilities on film. Pan's movement design and Astaire's execution became inseparable. Pan choreographed almost ninety movies and television shows, including such well known works as: The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), Shall We Dance (1937), Moon Over Miami (1941), Blue Skies (1946), Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Three Little Words (1950), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Silk Stockings (1957), Porgy and Bess (1959), Cleopatra (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), Finian's Rainbow (1968), and Darling Lili (1970). Pan won the Academy Award for A Damsel in Distress (1937), an Emmy for Best Choreography for An Evening with Fred Astaire (1958), National Film Award for Achievement in Cinema (1980), and a Special Award from Joffrey Ballet (1986). Hermes Pan died in 1990.
