Museum of the City of New York

"Ballet Ballads," the first collaboration of composer Jerome Moross and lyricist John Latouche, premiered in 1948 in New York City and was considered a breakthrough in dance. The musical combined elements of American theater, dance and heritage into a contemporary musical. One of the four acts in the ballet, “The Eccentricities of Davy Crockett,” was loosely based on Crockett’s life. Pictured are a group of dancers performing a segment inspired by Crockett’s association with bear hunting.