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Chorus lines hit vogue in the 1920s and 30s, as the life and possibilities of a "chorus girl" became sensationalized in fiction, newspapers, and film, capturing the imaginations of young women seeking independence, adventure, and a happily ever after. Real-life examples of the
Cinderella narrative
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received the reputation of being able to objectively define and select exceptionally beautiful women. Ziegfeld's standards, then, soon became the ideal, and publications and news articles circulated with headlines like, "How I pick my
Beauties" and "Picking out pretty girls for the stage".
757:"Glorifying the American Girl: Adapting an Icon", Cynthia J. Miller; "The Adaptation of History: Essays on Ways of Telling the Past" edited by Laurence Raw, Defne Ersin Tutan; McFarland, 2012; page 33
214:, but more frequently the term "chorus line" in modern terms is used to differentiate supporting singers and dancers of any gender in a musical or musical revue from the lead actors or performers.
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Decades later, chorus lines of a more erotic flavor found huge success on
America's west coast in Las Vegas, before declining again in the face of competition from
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is also performed. While synchronized dancing indicative of a chorus line was vogue during the first half of the 20th century, modern theatre uses the terms "
98:. By the late 1860s, the scandalous trend found its way to the United States with a more conservative trend of chorus lines hitting England, including
106:. Chorus lines throughout Western Europe and the United States largely owned the stages of the early twentieth century. Chorus line dancers in early
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For women hoping to make a career out of performing, the chorus line was a common place of entry. Big names of the day like
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productions, the famous
Goldwyn Girls included stars who went on to find great success on-screen like
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American
Cinderellas on the Broadway Musical Stage: Imagining the Working Girl from Irene to Gypsy
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American
Cinderellas on the Broadway Musical Stage: Imagining the Working Girl from Irene to Gypsy
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To this day, some live performance venues keep the traditional chorus line alive with groups like
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Some popular chorus lines found their way onto the golden screen. One group in particular was
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are just some of the stars who began successful performing careers by joining a chorus line.
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Automats, Taxi Dances, and
Vaudeville: Excavating Manhattan's Lost Places of Leisure
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Performers who started out dancing in traditional chorus lines include:
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639:"Timeline of Lucille Ball's Life & Career - Fenton History Center"
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In the mid-1800s, chorus lines of cartwheeling, synchronized dancing
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507:"Chorus Line Dancers and Can-Can Girls from the 1920s-1960s"
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Theatrical poster from 1900 showing an early chorus line.
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One of the most popular productions of the time was the
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16:Group of dancers who perform synchronized routines
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70:" to indicate all supporting players in a
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688:"Obituary: Anise Boyer Burris".
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589:"The High Cost of Stage Beauty"
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587:Stuart, Judson D. (May 1915).
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505:Lowbrow, Yeoman (2017-10-22).
19:For the Broadway musical, see
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537:Victoria, Ava (5 May 2022).
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564:"Definition of CHORUS LINE"
539:"The Life of a Chorus Girl"
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798:Dance in the United States
664:"Profile: 'Call me Madam'"
232:(U.S. act founded in 1925)
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603:– via Google books.
191:. Popping up in numerous
709:Freeland, David (2009).
691:New York Amsterdam News
568:www.merriam-webster.com
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471:Friedrichstadt-Palast
54:routines, usually in
50:who together perform
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779:at Wikimedia Commons
46:is a large group of
38:A modern chorus line
218:Famous chorus lines
166:Florenz Ziegfeld Jr
160:, operating out of
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21:A Chorus Line
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670:. 2000-10-23
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433:Joan Shawlee
428:Sheree North
343:Betty Grable
278:Lucille Ball
263:June Allyson
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224:Gaiety Girls
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52:synchronized
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593:The Theatre
443:Tyra Vaughn
363:Ruby Keeler
288:Anise Boyer
178:strip clubs
136:Billie Dove
44:chorus line
787:Categories
674:2012-09-09
649:2017-10-30
573:2022-05-18
516:2022-05-17
487:References
453:Jane Wyman
418:Nita Naldi
408:Eve Miller
348:Lena Horne
333:Alice Faye
323:Myrna Dell
303:June Clyde
205:Jane Wyman
94:, and the
717:NYU Press
448:Toby Wing
383:Myrna Loy
174:burlesque
130:included
696:ProQuest
668:BBC News
599:June 18,
511:Flashbak
476:Showgirl
460:See also
378:Ruta Lee
124:twirlies
64:ensemble
466:Can-can
120:gypsies
92:Le Lido
84:can-can
78:History
66:" and "
60:singing
48:dancers
723:
203:, and
149:, and
116:ponies
112:revues
68:chorus
548:5 May
721:ISBN
601:2021
550:2022
176:and
134:and
122:and
110:and
102:and
193:MGM
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