Carmen de Lavallade
National Visionary
Born on March 6, 1931 in Los Angeles, California
Dancer, actress, choreographer
BIOGRAPHY
Carmen de Lavallade has captured the spotlight in Broadway musicals, television productions, films, and international performances since 1949.

Ms. de Lavallade as a young lady
Thanks to an introduction by Lena Horne to a 20th Century Fox filmmaker, de Lavallade made four movies, including her breakthrough performance in Carmen Jones. But her passion to perform kept de Lavallade on stage, where she toured Europe with long-time friend Alvin Ailey, before dancing with the America Ballet Theater.
In 1966, she won the coveted Dance Magazine award for her contribution to the art of dance. She has staged musicals, plays, and operas. She joined the Yale School of Drama in 1970 as a choreographer and performer-in-residence, later becoming a full professor. She continues to teach, travel, and perform.
She has been married to Geoffrey Holder since 1955; they have one son.
VIDEO CLIPSEXTERNAL LINKS
• Library of Congress WEBCAST: NVLP Showcase - featuring Carmen de Lavallade & Arthur Mitchell (Realplayer required)
RELATED LINKS
• Geoffrey Holder's Visionary Page (de Lavallade's husband)
URL (Click to bookmark): http://www.visionaryproject.org/delavalladecarmen