By Lubna Abdel-Aziz She stood tall and erect, with a posture full of grace and pride. She would then make a move, like a goddess ready to quit her pedestal. With her body slightly curving backward, her superb long legs would start the magic of her dance. She was unique, in Hollywood and elsewhere. Her hair fell in black cascades along her lovely cheeks. Her vermillion lips gleamed in red splendour, and her midnight eyes glittered with the light of a million stars. Her marble body, perfect in its roundness, lustrous and voluptuous, made Venus blush, yet behind this fiery statuesque charm she was every inch a lady. There was nothing improper, nothing unrefined, nothing offensive about Cyd Charisse. Hollywood had a long list of professional accomplished dancers, dark and sultry sirens, exotic and seductive beauties, but there was no other endowed with so many talents, attributes and abilities. Cyd Charisse, incomparable star of MGM musicals died last week after a sudden heart attack. She was 87. Until the end she remained slendour, active and glamorous. Every day of her life she practiced her ballet steps at a bar in front of a large mirror at her home in Los Angeles. Her husband of 60 years, crooner Tony Martin is heartbroken -- for she was the image of perfection every day of her life. No one could be born with such an enchanting name as Cyd Charisse, and she wasn't. Far from it! She was born Tula Ellice Finklea, named after her aunt Tula and her uncle Ellis, in Amarillo, Texas, on March 8, 1921. Her father Ernest owned and operated a jewellery store, and her mother Lela ran the Finklea household. Her brother tried hard to call her "Sis" but could only manage "Sid." She would answer to that name for the rest of her life. Father Finklea loved the ballet and sent his daughter to dance school when she was only 6. He was delighted to learn that she was a remarkably gifted dancer. At fourteen, he sent her to an advanced ballet school in Hollywood for more extensive training. In less than a year she quickly advanced from professional classes to performing with the prestigious Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, as Felia Siderova. It was one of the several names she would use professionally. Her ballet instructor Nico Charisse, 32, fell madly in love with the 16 year-old enchantress. They were married in Paris and together they operated a ballet school in Los Angeles and began to appear together in some short pictures as Nico and Charisse. Their son Nicky was born in 1942. Sid was introduced to work in feature film ballet numbers under the name of Lily Norwood, her grandmother's first name and her mother's maiden name. In 1943 she appeared in Mission to Moscow and Something to Shout About. Metro Goldwyn Mayer began courting the stunning ballerina, and husband Nico, mother Lela and her extended family encouraged her to shift her dancing from the stage to the screen. Sid was to appear with Fred Astaire in the opening number of Ziegfeld Follies (1948) but producer Arthur Freed disliked the name Lily Norwood. He thought it too plain a name for that glamorous dark beauty. He liked the name Charisse, and Sid was acceptable, but it needed a little spicing up. The spelling was changed to Cyd, and a new star was born. MGM offered her a 7-year contract but with a large stable of highly skilled dancers. Cyd was kept on the sidelines, supporting stars like Esther Williams and Kathryn Grayson. Her appearance would last no more than a few seconds in such films as Smoke Gets in Your Eyes opposite Gower Champion and Words of Music as Perry Como's female companion. She danced in a few more films, but the dance routines were uninteresting and did her little credit. More than six years after signing with MGM, Gene Kelly came her way with his masterpiece production of Singin in the Rain (1952). He cast her as a gangster's moll in a sensational number, which resulted in a legendary moment in film history. Her highly erotic performance and her long sexy legs, said to have been insured for a million dollars each by MGN, had them dribbling and drooling. This was achieved without one word of dialogue. In his essay on The Great Movie Stars, David Shipman opened by describing that dance routine. More than any other dancer, male or female, Cyd could express moods, emotions and attitudes, with only her limbs. Censors would hover around the stage watching her revealing costumes, but her eroticism totally escaped them. Her dancing had a profound sexual charge yet was totally void of the tasteless, the tawdry. That is a hard line to draw and that is why Cyd Charisse stood out. MGM realized how good their dancer was; they gave her starring role opposite Fred Astaire - The Band Wagon often considered Director Vincente Minelli's best picture. She starred opposite Kelly again in Brigadoon, opposite Dan Daily in Meet me in Las Vegas, and again opposite Fred Astaire in what is now regarded as a masterpiece -- Silk Stockings. With the demise of the Hollywood musicals these great talents were suddenly out of work. Some reinvented themselves, as did Gene Kelly and so did Cyd Charisse. She did television and toured with her second husband Tony Martin in clubs and theatres. She did Broadway and continued to appear as a guest star in television until 1995. Just seeing her walk with such dignity and grace was nothing less than perfection. For those unfortunate souls who have never thrilled to her impassioned dance routines, there are several DVDs available of her films preserving infinite pleasure for the viewers. While Kelly became a legend in 16 years, and Astaire established his credentials within 5 movies, but built up his legend over 25 years, Cyd Charisse did it in 5, and has been a legend ever since, Described as "one of the classiest ladies you have ever met," she was also one of the most beautiful, most sensuous, and most talented stars of the silver screen. Her dancing partner Fred Astaire who called her "beautiful dynamite," added: "When you dance with Cyd Charisse, you've been danced with." To her many fans, she will always remain a goddess whose invitation to dance, one could hardly resist. Dance is the hidden language of the soul -- Martha Graham (1894 -- 1991)
