Meanwhile, somewhere in Michigan…
First Lady Betty Ford dancing aboard President Gerald Ford’s Whistlestop Campaign Train Trip. 05/15/197.
White House Trivia: Did you know that Betty Ford was a Martha Graham dancer in her youth?
Source: research.archives.gov
President Reagan and Nancy Reagan greeting performers from the Dance Theatre of Harlem during the state visit of Prime Minister Thatcher of United Kingdom in East Room. 2/26/81.
ID C922-24A
Source: reagan.utexas.edu
Ballet scene at the Great Hall of the People attended by President and Mrs. Nixon during their trip to Peking, China. 02/22/1972.
From the Nixon White House Photos.
Source: research.archives.gov
Photograph of Mrs. Betty Ford and Vice President-Designate Nelson A. Rockefeller Dancing in the Grand Hall of the White House, 1974.
Source: research.archives.gov
While touring the Central May 7th College of Art in Peking, People’s Republic of China, First Lady Betty Ford shares a dance move with one of the students. December, 1975
-from the Ford Presidential Library and Museum
Source: fordlibrarymuseum.gov
The Princess of Wales meets the King of Disco - On November 9, 1985, the Reagans hosted a gala dinner for Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the White House.
Among the guests was John Travolta. At First Lady Nancy Reagan’s request, he took to the dance floor for an impromptu twirl with Princess Diana.
Unfortunately, no video footage was taken of the famous dance. However, here’s a sequence of the moves that made headlines across the world.
-from the Reagan Library
Source: reagan.utexas.edu
First Lady Betty Ford dances on the Cabinet Room table on the day before departing the White House upon the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter. January 19, 1977.
-via the Ford Presidential Library and Museum
Celebrating Betty Ford, April 8, 1918 - July 8, 2011.
At an early age, Betty Bloomer developed a passion for dance. Upon graduation from Central High School in 1936, she attended the Bennington School of Dance, in Vermont, for two summers. While studying there she met and began her long association with choreographer Martha Graham. She continued her studies with Ms. Graham in New York City, becoming a member of her Auxiliary Performance Troupe and performing at Carnegie Hall.
This incredible image of Betty in 1942 was taken during a benefit performance in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the time, Betty was a Calla Travis Dance School instructor. She is wearing a costume she designed consisting of a grey satin skirt and leotard with magenta sash and gloves.
From the Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
