Marta Becket

Marta Becket
Name	Marta Becket
Birth date	June 9, 1924
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Death date	January 30, 2017
Death place	Death Valley Junction, California, U.S.
Occupation	Dancer, choreographer, painter, actress
Years active	1938–2012

Marta Becket was an American dancer, choreographer, painter, and stage actress best known for transforming a small theater in Death Valley Junction into the Amargosa Opera House and creating painted stage backdrops that accompanied decades of solo performances. Becket's career spanned Broadway, touring vaudeville circuits, and residencies in remote California, intersecting with figures from New York City theater to Hollywood cinema and attracting visitors from international sites such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Her work blended influences from classical ballet, modern dance, and visual arts movements, situating her within conversations alongside performers and artists linked to Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and European modernists.

Early life and education

Becket was born in New York City to immigrant parents and grew up amid the cultural milieu of Harlem, Brooklyn, and Manhattan neighborhoods frequented by performers who worked at venues like the Apollo Theater, Radio City Music Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera. She studied dance and performance with teachers connected to institutions such as the School of American Ballet, the Harkness Ballet School, and studios frequented by protégés of Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan. Early influences included tours to venues like the Carnegie Hall, visits to exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, and exposure to choreography circulated by companies like the New York City Ballet and Martha Graham Dance Company.

Career beginnings and Broadway work

Becket's early professional life involved touring with circuses and variety troupes, performing in venues associated with circuits like the Keith-Albee-Orpheum and agents tied to impresarios such as Florenz Ziegfeld and managers who booked acts to theaters including the Shubert Theatre, the Winter Garden Theatre, and the Palace Theatre. She worked in nightclubs that catered to performers from Broadway shows and entertained patrons who later crossed into film roles at studios such as Paramount Pictures, MGM, and Warner Bros.. Her choreography and stagecraft drew attention from producers and directors connected to institutions like the American Ballet Theatre and led to collaborations with composers and conductors who had worked at the Metropolitan Opera House and with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic.

The Amargosa Opera House and Death Valley residency

After touring, Becket acquired and restored the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction, a site formerly linked to the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad and regional development tied to companies like the Pacific Coast Borax Company and landmarks near Death Valley National Park. She established a long-term residency that attracted visitors from Las Vegas Strip resorts, tour operators originating in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and cultural tourists traveling from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Getty Center. The Opera House became a cultural hub referenced alongside historic desert locales like Rhyolite, Nevada and preserved sites listed by regional historical societies and agencies like the National Park Service.

Artistic style and choreography

Becket's dance vocabulary synthesized techniques from figures such as Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and European modernists associated with Serge Diaghilev and companies like the Ballets Russes. Her choreographic narratives combined theatrical pantomime reminiscent of performers linked to Charlie Chaplin and stagecraft traditions practiced in venues like the Metropolitan Opera and vaudeville houses. Visually, her painted backdrops and sets echoed painterly traditions found in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and regional galleries that showed work by artists associated with Abstract Expressionism and representational muralists influenced by patrons of the Works Progress Administration.

Film, media appearances, and documentary

Becket's story drew attention from filmmakers and journalists at outlets connected to the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and public broadcasters such as National Public Radio and PBS. Her life and theater were the subjects of documentaries screened at festivals like the Sundance Film Festival, regional retrospectives at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and programs hosted by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. Her appearances intersected with filmmakers, producers, and critics who also worked with artists featured in documentaries about John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and performers celebrated in retrospectives at venues like the Tate Modern and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Personal life and legacy

Becket maintained friendships and professional contacts with dancers, choreographers, and cultural figures active in New York City, Los Angeles, and desert communities near Bishop, California and Beatty, Nevada. Her legacy is preserved through the ongoing cultural significance of the Amargosa Opera House, exhibitions and collections at regional museums like the Death Valley Conservancy and archives consulted by scholars from universities including UCLA, USC, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Honors and recognitions associated with her work have been acknowledged by local historical societies, nonprofit cultural organizations, and tourism boards connected to Inyo County and the broader heritage sector. Her life continues to be cited in studies of American performance history alongside figures from Broadway and desert arts communities.

Category:American dancers Category:Choreographers Category:People from New York City Category:Deaths in 2017