“Good posture takes inches off my waist. I have a feeling of lifting my...” — Vera-Ellen Quote

“Good posture takes inches off my waist. I have a feeling of lifting my rib cage off my hip bones, of flattening the space between my navel and my backbone. If you stand sideways in front of a long mirror you can see how eliminating a slump gives a more youthful line to your body.”

“Often the studio will have premieres and other functions which I have to attend every week, so that just about takes care of the free time. Also, I am away much of the time on location and tours.”

“There are more real dancers now. It used to be that they would dub in the taps and obscure the lack of technique with long camera shots.”

“Any director who comes into a revival owes a great deal to the original director. If I know the backbone works, it gives me, as a director, much more freedom to bring something new to it or try something different.”

“I was born 20 years after my eldest sister. I was the pampered child. That kind of love gives you an almost unbreakable backbone. My mother had three kids before me. She let me be completely free. I just never had anything to beat myself up over.”

“I have perfected the art of the mean song to make me feel like I have a backbone.”