Frances Taylor Davis

Frances Taylor Davis (September 28, 1929 – November 17, 2018) was an American dancer and actress who was a member of the Katherine Dunham Company, and the first African American ballerina to perform with the Paris Opera Ballet. Credited as Elizabeth Taylor, she had roles in the Broadway musicals Mr. Wonderful, Shinbone Alley, and was an original cast member of West Side Story. Taylor also appeared in the Off-Broadway productions of Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess. At the peak of her career, she left Broadway to marry jazz musician Miles Davis. Life and career Early life Taylor was born on September 28, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois. Taylor grew up in the Rosenwald Courts in Chicago. Her father worked at the post office. She began dancing classical ballet at the age of 8, and by the age of 16 she was performing Swan Lake. Her instructor encouraged her to audition for the Edna McRae School of the Dance where she became the only African American student. While attending the school, Taylor met dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham who offered her a scholarship to study dance at the Katherine Dunham Company. Taylor finished high school then briefly attended college, but decided to pursue a dancing career instead.