Sally Rand (April 3, 1904 – August 31, 1979) was born as Helen Harriet Beck in Hickory County, Missouri. She also performed under the name Billie Beck. She was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance.
During the 1920s, Sally Rand acted on stage and appeared in silent films. Cecil B. DeMille gave her the name Sally Rand, inspired by a Rand McNally atlas. She was selected as one of the W...
more
Sally Rand (April 3, 1904 – August 31, 1979) was born as Helen Harriet Beck in Hickory County, Missouri. She also performed under the name Billie Beck. She was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance.
During the 1920s, Sally Rand acted on stage and appeared in silent films. Cecil B. DeMille gave her the name Sally Rand, inspired by a Rand McNally atlas. She was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1927. After the introduction of sound film, she became a dancer, known for the fan dance, which she popularized starting at the Paramount Club. Her most famous appearance was at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair entitled Century of Progress. She had been arrested four times in a single day during the fair due to perceived indecent exposure while riding a white horse down the streets of Chicago, but the nudity was only an illusion. She also conceived and developed the bubble dance, in part to cope with wind while performing...
less
