Leslie Caron to be Honored at PDS' Annual Gypsy Award Luncheon, 3/30

"For many years our 1,000 strong members have been requesting we honor the great Leslie Caron for her inspiring body of work. In celebration of PDS' 27th anniversary, we chose the member's first choice and we are pleased Ms. Caron accepted our invitation," said Joni Berry, Luncheon Chairman.

Discovered by Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron burst upon the screen in the Oscar winning film, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Ms. Caron's legendary film roles include GIGI, DADDY LONG LEGS and THE GLASS SLIPPER and among her numerous honors, she received an Emmy award for LAW & ORDER: SVU.

Dee Dee Wood and the late Marc Breaux are often referred to as one of "the most beloved team of dancer/choreographers in film and television history." Their numerous credits include: THE SOUND OF MUSIC, MARY POPPINS and CHITTY, CHITTY BANG BANG, among many others.

The Professional Dancers Society (PDS) is an affiliate of The Actors Fund of America. PDS is a non-profit corporation formed to serve the professional dancer, active and inactive and with The Actors Fund of America is achieving the long-needed goals of low income housing; plus retirement and nursing facilities for dancers on both coasts. Previous Gypsy Award winners include Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Ben Vereen, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Carl Reiner, Ann-Margret, Florence Henderson, Mary Tyler Moore, Chita Rivera and Julie Andrews.

The March 30th event will begin at 11:00am Cocktails, followed by a Noon Luncheon and the Awards at 1:00pm. For more information about the event including tickets or ads, please visit www.professionaldancersociety.org or call (310) 285-1411.

French ballet dancer Leslie Caron was discovered by the legendary MGM star Gene Kelly during his search for a co-star in the Oscar-winning An American in Paris (1951). Leslie's gamine looks and pixie-like appeal would be ideal for Cinderella-type rags-to-riches stories, and Hollywood made fine use of it in hits such as Gigi (which won multiple Academy Awards and for which Leslie herself was nominated for a Golden Globe), Daddy Long Legs and The Glass Slipper. Combined with her fluid dancing skills, she became one of the top international musical artists of the 1950s, while her triple-threat talents as a singer, dancer and actress sustained her long after musical film's "Golden Age" had passed. She continues to work internationally on stage, screen and television, winning (or being nominated) not only Oscars, but British Academy Film Awards, Tonys, Emmys and Golden Globes. She has also received a number of Lifetime Achievement Awards for her contributions to both film and dance; and in 2008, Leslie published her memoirs, "Thank Heaven," later translated to French as "Une Francaise à Hollywood".