# Fred Astaire's Secret Choreographer Hermes Pan

> Hermes Pan, Fred Astaire's choreographer, shaped his iconic dance style without recognition.
- Title: Fred Astaire's Secret Choreographer Hermes Pan · Vanity Fair
- Summary: Hermes Pan, Fred Astaire's choreographer, shaped his iconic dance style without recognition.
- Keywords: fred astaire, hermes pan, choreographer, dance, rko, ginger rogers, musical films, the gay divorcee, swing time, astaire rogers, Fred, Astaire's
- Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/fred-astaire-soulmate-hermes-pan
- Author: David Hajdu
- Published: 2026-10-20T12:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: fred astaire, hermes pan, choreographer, dance, rko, ginger rogers, musical films, the gay divorcee, swing time, astaire rogers
## Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' Films
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made nine Depression-era musicals for RKO, including Top Hat and The Gay Divorcee.
## Hermes Pan's Role
Hermes Pan, Astaire's choreographer, created his most inventive dances and was called 'the only person I ever saw who could dance like I could.'

> It's the ideas that are the hardest to get, I mean, getting steps in another thing.
## The Astaire-Pan Partnership
Astaire and Pan worked together as inseparable collaborators, with Pan often playing Ginger's role during rehearsals.

> With Fred, I was Ginger, and with Ginger, I was Fred.
## Their Creative Process
Pan and Astaire rehearsed in seclusion, often working on numbers without others present to develop their choreography.
## The 'Shoes with Wings On' Number
Pan persuaded Astaire to try a risky lift with Cyd Charisse for Silk Stockings, which Astaire completed after initial hesitation.

> If it hadn't been for Pan, I don't think I ever would have done it.
## The Ghost Dance
In Second Chorus, Astaire danced with a ghostly Pan in a Halloween-themed number that was later cut from the film.

> I did it. I got her, and I was pleased.
## Pan's Influence
Pan's choreography defined Astaire's style, with both men sharing a sense of refinement and a love for the absurd.
## Pan's Later Life
Pan met Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and they became lifelong friends, with Rivera painting a portrait of Pan dancing.
## Their Friendship
Astaire and Pan shared daily routines, including cooking simple meals and reading the newspaper together.
## The Ghost Dance Legacy
Pan followed Astaire's ghost upstairs three years after his death, honoring their lifelong partnership.
## Key takeaway

Hermes Pan, Fred Astaire's choreographer, created his famous dance routines and was his closest collaborator.