Loren Hightower

Loren "Tex" Hightower (December 2, 1927 – November 7, 2017) was an American dancer whose career spanned both ballet and musical theatre. Born in Belton, Texas, he bore no relation to ballerina Rosella Hightower. He received his training under Ted Shawn and went on to build a performing career that extended from the 1940s through the late 1960s.

Hightower danced principal roles with the Metropolitan Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre, and he performed regularly at the Metropolitan Opera. His work in ballet was characteristic of dancers of his era who moved between concert dance and commercial theatre, and his Broadway appearances spanned the years 1950 to 1965. His stage credits include Finian's Rainbow, Brigadoon, Peter Pan, Camelot, 110 in the Shade, Anyone Can Whistle, and Half a Sixpence.

Beyond performing, Hightower worked as a choreographer, creating the ballets The Maids, An Idyll for Aphrodite, and Chips from a Crystal Ballroom, as well as Museum for the New York Shakespeare Festival. Following his retirement from performing in the late 1960s, he joined the faculty at Adelphi University, where he taught dance for many years.