Bertram Ross

A renowned dancer often cited for his principal role in the Martha Graham Dance Company and his strong and expressive style, Bertram Ross gained accolades as the originator of such roles as St. Michael in Seraphic Dialogue and Argamemnon and Orestes in Clytemnestra. A New York native and alumni of Ohio's Oberlin College, Ross originally pursued studies in painting at the Art Student's League. Although he had originally intend to continue his art career following a stint as an Army mapmaker during WWII, Ross subsequently became enamored with the world of dance after witnessing performances by the Martha Graham Dance Company. Ross eventually joined the company in 1949, and his first partnership with Graham herself came with the role of Oedipus in a 1953 production of Night Journey. Following Graham's divorce and the simultaneous departure of her husband from the troupe that same year, Ross was appointed as Graham's new partner. Over the course of the next 20 years, Ross suffered the tortures of the damned in a series of lurid roles cooked up by Graham, and their enduring partnership proved fruitful and productive. In 1966, Ross became the co-director of the school, and he remained in the position until Graham passed her legacy on to Ron Protas in 1973. Ross' career received a second wind when a partnership with musician John Wallowitch lead to performances as a nightclub singer two years after his departure from the Graham troupe, and the duo found worldwide success in tours of both the U.S. and Europe. The 1998 documentary Wallowitch and Ross: This Moment traced the career of the team, and a subsequent CD release brought their musical stylings to a whole new generation. A victim of Parkinson's Syndrome in his later years, Bertram Ross died of pneumonia in New York on April 20, 2003. He was 82.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide