TODAY 76 YEARS AGO Richard Cragun was born in Sacramento, California. 17 years later, John Cranko engaged the American for the Stuttgart Ballet, where he was one of the company’s most famous and versatile dancers. Numerous roles were created for “Ricky”, who found his ideal stage partner in Marcia Haydée. The role of Petruccio in John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew would be unthinkable without him – not only because he portrayed the daredevil in a humorous and sexy way, but also because of his triple tours en l’air. His portrayal of the brooding Stanley Kowalski in John Neumeier's A Streetcar Named Desire and the androgynous fairy Carabosse in Marcia Haydée's Sleeping Beauty were equally impressive. After his active career as a dancer, he became director in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro. In the Brazilian metropolis, he also founded a company and school for children from the slums. Richard Cragun died in 2012, but as a person and artist the “R” in John Cranko's Initials R.B.M.E. stays unforgotten and unforgettable.

Photo: Richard Cragun and Marcia Haydée