Amathalente omdanso kaFred Astaire ngokuqinisekile athonywe, futhi athuthukiswa, ngabalingani abaningi bomdanso, ababambisene nabo kanye nabadwebi bomdanso ayesebenza nabo ngesikhathi somsebenzi wakhe wobuciko. Lokhu okuthunyelwe kwebhulogi kutusa isigqoko kuHermes Pan… umdansi, umdwebi womdanso, umhleli nomngane omuhle kaFred Astaire iminyaka engaphezu kwengama-60.
Wazalwa ngoDisemba 10, 1909 eMemphis TN, umdansi waseMelika kanye nomdwebi womdanso, uHermes Pan (owazalwa nguHermes Joseph Panagiotopoulos), owakhunjulwa kakhulu njengomhlanganyeli womdanso kaFred Astaire emculweni odumile wama-1930s wama-movie odlala u-Astaire noGinger Rogers. UPan no-Astaire (ayemfanisa ngokomzimba), bahlangana kusethi ye- “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), lapho uPan esebenza njengomsizi womqondisi womdanso uDave Gould. Ngenkathi u-Astaire esebenza ochungechungeni lwezinyathelo zomdanso we "The Carioca", kwaphakanyiswa ukuthi iPan ingaba nemibono embalwa. Wakwenza, ekhombisa ikhefu elincane ayelithathe ezinsukwini zakhe zomgwaqo eNew York. Futhi yaqala kanjalo-ke ukubambisana kobungcweti impilo yonke nobungani phakathi kwalaba bobabili, okwakufaka phakathi amafilimu omculo ayi-17 kwangu-31 ka-Astaire nezintathu zezinto zakhe ezine zethelevishini.
Kubhekwa kabanzi njengenye yamandla abaluleke kakhulu kumdanso wokudansa wamafilimu wekhulu lama-20 nomculo wethelevishini. U-Astaire ubize uPan ngokuthi "indoda yakhe yemibono", kanti ngenkathi ejwayele ukuzikhethela imikhuba yakhe (futhi kwesinye isikhathi esebenza nabanye abadwebi bomdanso) wayelwazisa kakhulu usizo lwePan hhayi nje njengomthombo kanye nokugxeka imibono, kodwa futhi njengomlingani wokuzijwayeza. UPan uphinde wenza umsebenzi obalulekile wokuzijwayeza uGinger Rogers okunye ukuzibophezela kwakhe okuningi ngesikhathi sokuqoshwa komculo we-Astaire-Rogers obekuvame ukuphikisana nohlelo lokuzijwayeza u-Astaire. Ngaphezu kwalokho, wabhala
Umpompi ka-Ginger ekukhiqizeni okuthunyelwe kwezinye izinombolo. Kunamahemuhemu okuthi ukwenze lokhu ezithendeni eziphakeme, ngobuqiniso.
Ukuvela okokuqala kukaPan esikrinini kwakunjengokucacisa ngesikhathi sohlelo lwe-Astaire-Goddard “Anginamathele Kuleso Sinyathelo Kodwa Ngizokumba” ku- “Second Chorus” (1940), futhi ngigqoke njengeThe Ghost ku-Deleted (and kuphela) Inqubo ye-Astaire-Pan "Mina ne-Ghost Upstairs" evela kwifilimu efanayo. Imisebenzi yakhe yokudansa esikrinini (izindima zokudansa ezingakhulumi futhi asebenze njenge-choreographer) ibandakanya izindlela noBetty Grable ku- "Moon Over Miami" (ifilimu ka-1941) kanye ne- “Coney Island” (1943). Umkhuba wakhe omude wokuqopha umdanso uyindida eyinkimbinkimbi eneGrable ku- “Footlight Serenade” (ifilimu yango-1942) eyayinanela umsebenzi wakhe wokulingisa no-Astaire noRogers, nalapho okufana khona nokufana kwakhe ne-Astaire. Ubuye wavela noRita Hayworth ku- “My Gal Sal” (1942) nakuBetty Grable futhi ku- “Pin Up Girl” (1944). Le yimidlalo yakhe kuphela yokudansa efilimini, (ngaphandle kokubuka okufishane, kodwa okuhlonishwayo ku- “Kiss Me Kate” njenge- “Soldier Boy”), imidlalo nayo evumele ukuqhathanisa phakathi kwezitayela zomdanso zikaPan no-Astaire.
UPan no-Astaire baqhubekile nokusebenzisana kuze kufike esithombeni sokugcina somculo i-Astaire esithi “Finian's Rainbow” (1968), lapho ezingxenyeni eziningi, ezingamhambelanga kahle uPan uqobo. Noma umqondisi osemusha uFrancis Ford Coppola wayengenalo ulwazi ngamafilimu omculo, weqa izinhlelo zika-Astaire noPan zemidanso yefilimu. Wayesebuyise kabusha isitayela "sekhamera yokudansa" yama-1930 okuqala u-Astaire ayekwenzile kakhulu ukukhipha umculo waseHollywood. Ekugcineni uPan, owayenendima encane kule filimu, waxoshwa nguCoppola (osekuvumile ukuthi nguye obambe iqhaza ekuphumeleleni okulinganiselwe kwezobuciko).
UHermes Pan wadweba cishe amafilimu angama-50 ngenkathi esebenza. Uthole ukuqokwa kwe-Academy Award ngokuqondiswa komdanso ku- “Top Hat” (1935) kanye ne- “Swing Time” (1936
), i-Emmy Award yethelevishini ekhethekile ethi "An Evening with Fred Astaire" (1958), yahlonishwa ngeNational Film Award ngo-1980, kanye noJoffrey Ballet ngo-1986. Ngesikhathi ingasebenzi ne-Astaire, iPan yayifunwa kakhulu umdwebi womdanso phakathi nesikhathi sobudala begolide somculo waseHollywood, ikakhulukazi kuLovely to Look At (1952) noKiss Me Kate (1953, lapho uBob Fosse naye adweba khona futhi wasina). Yena noFred Astaire bahlala bengabangani waze washona u-Astaire ngo-1987. UPan yena wadlula emhlabeni ngo-1990 eCalifornia, eneminyaka engama-79.
Kusukela ngo-1947, uFred Astaire Dance Studios ubelokhu ehlanganyela injabulo yomdanso, esebenzisa ikharikhulamu ephathelene nomnikazi wethu uqobo. Xhumana nathi namuhla, bese uqala uhambo lwakho lokudansa!