Loretta Agatha Abbott was an American educator, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, dance captain, and actress.
25 Facts About Loretta Abbott
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Loretta Abbott was an early member and foundation builder for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.
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Loretta Abbott was a founding member of the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, and worked with the organization from 1959 to 1989.
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Loretta Abbott's training started at the age of five taking piano, voice, and dance classes.
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Loretta Abbott studied with dance with Ruth Williams and her tap teacher was Henry LeTang.
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Loretta Abbott performed as a child in talent shows in Harlem with the Ella Gordon's Peter Pan Kiddies.
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Loretta Abbott lived her entire life in Harlem in a brownstone that her father Alfred Bruce Abbott bought in 1932.
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Loretta Abbott's father was from Panama, and her mother Agatha was from Jamaica.
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Loretta Abbott graduated from Hunter College in New York City, and had a short career as a kindergarten teacher in Harlem at Public School 90.
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Loretta Abbott mastered many techniques in dance, ballet, modern dance, and ethnic.
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Loretta Abbott is well known for her work with Alvin Ailey.
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Loretta Abbott was a pioneer in African American modern dance in the 1960s.
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Loretta Abbott was Ailey's partner in his masterpiece dance piece Revelations prior to his retirement in 1964.
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Loretta Abbott was a dancer, dance captain, and choreographic assistant with Amen Corner.
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Loretta Abbott studied with and worked with many of the pioneers of modern dance, ballet, and dance institutions.
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Loretta Abbott was a founding member of the New Dance Group and the Clark Center for the performing arts.
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Loretta Abbott was able to work with many aspiring choreographers, such as Walter Nicks, Talley Beatty, Geoffrey Holder, Eleo Pomare, Fred Benjamin, Donald McKayle, and Al Perryman.
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Loretta Abbott had her own one woman show touring company.
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Loretta Abbott worked with many choreographers and dancers, including Fred Benjamin, Jean-Leon Destine, George Faison, Martin Gordon, Louis Johnson, John Parks, Al Perryman, Michael Peters, Carmen de Lavallade, Abdel Salaam, Otis Sallid, Paul Sanasardo, and Andy Torres.
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Loretta Abbott performed as a featured dancer for the Eleo Pomare Dance Company.
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Loretta Abbott was an founding member of the George Faison Universal Dance Experience in the 70s.
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Loretta Abbott spent most of her life as a performer, supporter of the arts, and worked with many budding choreographers at the beginning of their careers in the dance world of arts.
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Loretta Abbott worked as a choreographer, a dancer, and guest lecturer with the Avodah Dance Ensemble in New York City.
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Loretta Abbott assisted in the creation of "Let My People Go", a praise dance.
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Loretta Abbott was still dancing in her 80s with the Phoenix Project, a project with the Dances for a Variable Population in New York City, a group of dancers in their 70s, 80s, and 90s and a citywide project that celebrates the beauty of aging and dance.