Becoming Fred Astaire at The Virginia Robinson Gardens

Join the Virginia Robinson Gardens as Victoria Kastner tells the fascinating story of Fred’s early years, charting the ups and downs that brought him to the pinnacle of fame.

We think of Fred Astaire today as the epitome of elegance and grace. He was a close friend of Virginia Robinson’s, playing tennis and attending parties in her beautiful gardens for many years. Fred made the first of his forty films in 1933 (with Joan Crawford, in MGM’s Dancing Lady)—and almost a century later, he remains unrivalled as Hollywood’s greatest dancer. But his early life was far from elegant. Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1899, he and his older sister Adele spent many years as struggling young dancers on the vaudeville circuit. They only “hit the big time” in 1923—when they became the toast of the London theater’s West End. Their audience were so enthralled by their performances that the critics described their response as “Astairia.”

Ticket includes lecture and lunch.