Valerie Bettis  Valerie Elizabeth Bettis (December 1919 – 26 September 1982) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. She found success in musical theatre, ballet, and as a solo dancer. Valerie Bettis was born on either 19 December or 20 December 1919 in Houston, Texas. Her parents were Royal Holt Bettis and Valerie Elizabeth Bettis (McCarthy). Her father died when she was thirteen years old, after which her mother married Hugh Prather. In 1943, Bettis married Bernardo Segall, who was then her company's music director, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1955. In 1959, she married Arthur A. Schmidt who died in 1969. On 26 September 1982, Bettis died at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan at the age of 62. Valerie Bettis found success both as a modern dancer and as a choreographer, often both in the same production. She was known for her "versatility, vivid stage presence, and flamboyant theatricality." Bettis began taking ballet lessons in her hometown of Houston, Texas at the age of 10. While in high school, she participated in her school's dramas and musicals. She attended the University of Texas for only one year, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, before moving to New York City to study modern dance under Hanya Holm. She performed and toured with Holm's company from 1937 through 1940. In 1941, Bettis formed her own dance ensemble and began her career as a solo dancer. She found early success with her 1943 solo dance "The Desperate Heart", which incorporated the poem of the same name by John Malcolm Brinnin. New York Times dance critic John Martin listed it among the most outstanding performances of 1943. Louis Horst described "The Desperate Heart" as "the finest solo work in the entire modern dance repertory of this decade." In 1947, Bettis choreographed with a major ballet company. Her production of "Virginia Sampler", as performed by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, was called "an interesting and unsuccessful experiment." In 1948, Bettis adapted, directed, and choreographed William Faulkner's novel "As I Lay Dying" fusing acting and dance into a dance play. John Martin, "The New York Times" dance critic, called it "a completely authoritative work of art." Doris Hering of "Dance Magazine" wrote "Only an artist with the deepest feeling for movement and drama could have worked the wonders Miss Bettis did with the material at hand."