Fred Astair

Finding out that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus don't really exist pretty much pulled the rug out from under my childhood fantasy world. But, the moment that my mother told me that Fred Astair didn't have little machines in his feet that made all those clicking sounds when he danced; that was my first Grown Up moment. I could not imagine how someone could dance, leap, and keep those rhythms coming out of his feet at the same time. It was my first true Reality Check in Life but also the moment that I realized that Reality is often much more beautiful than Fantasy.

Fred Astair
b. May 10, 1899 21 h 16 m Omaha, NE

Sun 21 Taurus ASC 13 Sagittarius Moon 7 Gemini MC 2 Libra

Before looking at Fred Astair's chart I tried to imagine what would represent Tap Dancing. Neptune generally rules Dancing especially for Dancing that is so much dominated by Feet. Also, with Leo/5th House for performance. I figured that Saturn would also have to play a major part in the chart to give rhythm and timing. E Voila! Fred Astair's chart played right into my hands! He was born with Saturn in the H7 opposite Neptune in H7. Both planets are angular and in strong aspect to each other. (I'm just going to add as a note - because I don't know what it means - but Saturn and Neptune are either in conjunction or opposition in all the early numbered Harmonic Charts up to Harmonic 10.)

In addition to this he had a Kite Pattern laid over the ASC-DESC line. Uranus-Chiron conjunct Sagittarius Ascendant is opposite Pluto-Moon-Descendant and in a Grand Fire Trine with Mars in Leo and Venus in Aries. Whew! This explains all the focus on his dancing with his partners. Moon-Pluto and Neptune aspecting DESC or in 7th House really explains why his female audiences would obsessively imagine themselves as his dance partner.

Fred Astair's most famous actual dance partner was Ginger Rogers. Her Sun was conjunct his Vertex (fated encounters) and opposite Uranus and squaring Mars. Paulette Goddard's chart also had a strong connection to Astair's chart. I remember that he refused to tell anyone who his favorite dance partner had been.

As for any Leo influence in Fred Astair's chart, it's good to notice that his Sun is Unaspected and a Singleton Earth planet in his 5th House of Drama. In the opposite 11th House, Jupiter is also Unaspected and a Singleton in Water. So, both his Chart Ruler and Ruler of his Sun Sign really shine.