José Greco

José Greco né Costanzo Greco December 23 1918 December 31 2000 was an Italianborn American flamenco dancer and choreographer known for popularizing Spanish dance on the stage and screen in America mostly in the 1950s and 1960s José Greco was born as Costanzo Greco in Montorio nei Frentani to Paolo Emilio and Maria Carmela née Bucci Greco He would later legally change his name When he was 10 years old Greco and his family moved to New York City He began dancing in Brooklyn with his sister Norina at a young age Greco made his professional dancing debut in 1937 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Manhattan His most famous partners were La Argentinita Encarnación López Júlvez and after her death her sister Pilar López In 1949 he formed the José Greco Dance Company with which he toured extensively He also appeared in a number of films including Sombrero 1953 Around the World in 80 Days 1956 Holiday for Lovers 1959 Ship of Fools 1965 and The Proud and the Damned 1972 In 1951 Greco made his first appearance in the UK at the Sadlers Wells Theatre Later in the decade in 1954 and again in 1957 his troupe collaborated with Alfredo Antonini and members of the New York Philharmonic while performing during open air concerts at Lewisohn Stadium in New York City Greco received many honors and awards including being knighted by the Spanish government Cruz Laureada del Caballero del Mérito Civil and receiving four honorary doctorates José Greco started the José Greco Foundation for Hispanic Dance in 1972 and retired from the stage for the first time in 1974 He published an autobiography Gypsy in My Soul The Autobiography of José Greco in 1977 He had six children three boys and three girls His sons José Luis and Paolo are composers his son José Greco II is a dancer as are his three daughters Alessandra Carmela and Lola He came out of retirement in the late 1980s to form a company featuring his children He appeared on stage for the last time in 1995 at the age of 77 Until his death he was Visiting professor of Dance at Franklin Marshall College in Lancaster Pennsylvania José Greco died of heart failure in his home in Lancaster on the last day of the 20th century In an obituary in the Los Angeles Times dance critic Lewis Segal noted that Greco had been characterized as the undisputed Spanish dance star of the 50s and 60s and the greatest of all dance stars until the advent of Rudolf Nureyev in terms of boxoffice power Source Article José Greco from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30