Ballet Bravo

In the history of American cinema, two genres of enduring popularity are the western and the musical. Occasionally, a genre hybrid combining these two popular flavors occurs. Well-known examples are Clint Eastwood in Paint Your Wagon (1969), Jane Fonda in Cat Ballou (1965), and John Travolta in Urban Cowboy (1980).

While these are commonly known, what is often overlooked is the vast sea of choreographed cowboy dances found in countless films dating back to the earliest days of motion pictures. Cowboy dance, as a sub-genre, has been entirely ignored and, in fact, often written out of cinema history as a slight afterthought. One person who did not feel this way about cowboy dance was film historian Miles H. Sheridan.

The Ballet Bravo project is the result of a generous gift from the Miles H. Sheridan Foundation. This allowed a team of archivists to scour countless film archives, university collections, and private holdings in search of essential clips of cowboy dance. It was an enormous undertaking, as much of this film material was in abominable condition and had to be carefully cleaned and scanned before digital restoration could even be attempted. The final videos were archived in 4K by Coyote Film & Produce LLC on Avid editing systems, then prepared for public viewing on YouTube, which was deemed the most accessible platform for public access.

These works are provided freely to the public, in fulfillment of Miles H. Sheridan's last wish and final gift to the American people. In his own words, he said: “Show them cowboy dance and all its wonder.”

It is with due honor that the American West Institute has been allowed to oversee and steward the Ballet Bravo project to fruition.

Special thanks to mileshsheridanfoundation.com and coyotefilmandproduce.com.