1930-1943 - Kaleidoscopic dances of Busby Berkeley (13 photos)

Busby Berkeley's choreography resembled dancing in a kaleidoscope, so precise was the mathematical precision of his complex rhythmic movements.





Busby, the son of actress Gertrude Berkeley, first appeared on stage at the age of five. He went on to choreograph numerous Broadway musicals, gaining fame as a director of spectacular, grandiose dance numbers with complex, geometrically precise corps de ballet formations.



1934. Busby Berkeley stands at the end of a tunnel of dancers on the set of "Dames."

Berkeley later transferred his stunning style to the big screen, choreographing dances for Eddie Cantor's musicals.





1935. Lines of pianists in the musical interlude from the film "Gold Diggers of 1935."

Expanding beyond the stage, he used top-down camera angles to transform groups of dancers into kaleidoscopic works of art.



1933. Musical number from the film "Limelight Parade."

During the 1930s, Berkeley worked with Warner Brothers, first as a dance choreographer and later as a director.



1933. Musical number from the film "Limelight Parade."

In 1939, he switched to working with MGM, and later with 20th Century Fox.



1933. The musical number "Remember the Forgotten Men" from the film "Gold Diggers of 1933."

His personal life was as complex as his choreography.



1941. James Stewart surrounded by dancers in a scene from the film "Ziegfeld Girls."

Berkeley was married six times and was tried for triple manslaughter in a 1935 car accident, but was acquitted.



1941. Dancers descend next to a staircase in a scene from the film "Ziegfeld Girls."

By 1962, when he retired from show business, Berkeley had appeared in nearly 80 films.



1932. Dolores del Rio performs a Polynesian dance choreographed by Busby Berkeley in the film "Bird of Paradise."



1935. Dancers during the filming of "The Theatre Enthusiasm."



1943. Berkeley directs a scene with Judy Garland, Tommy Dorsey, and Mickey Rooney in the film "Girl Crazy."



1930. Busby Berkeley poses with a group of dancers.



1970. Busby Berkeley.