He died yesterday morning. More about it in swedish at [ Ссылка ] .


If anyone has more clips of these great dancers, please upload!

June 14, 1927 January 13, 2009

Pedro Cuban Pete Aguilar, 81, passed away on January 13, 2009, in Miami, FL.

Cuban Pete grew up in New Yorks El Barrio and made his mark in the Latin dance world at the dawn of the Mambo craze, in New Yorks famous Palladium Ballroom, and from there vaulted to international prominence. Known as the King of the Latin Beat, Mr. Mambo, and the Prince of the Palladium, he invented scores of dance movements and hand embellishments now viewed as standards of Latin dance. He served as a catalyst for social change in the entertainment and social arenas by being the first man with a tan to dance with a white woman onstage; in 1951 he danced with Millie Donay at the Palladium, ushering in one of the first instances of integration on the dance floor.

In his multi-decade career, he performed in movies, television, stage, and danced for American Presidents, heads of state and dignitaries, as well as serve as choreographer and consultant for the film, Mambo Kings. He adjudicated at many prestigious dance events worldwide, and was a skilled lecturer on the history of Latin dance and music.

With Barbara Craddock, he helped make history in the preservation of clave, by serving as choreographic consultant and instructor for Miami City Ballets unprecedented work, Mambo No. 2 a.m., and was choreographer for Latin Magic, an original mambo ballet for the University of the Arts School of Dance in Philadelphia.

The recipient of numerous awards for his contributions to Latin dance, he was referred to as the greatest mambo dancer ever by LIFE Magazine, Tito Puente and George Goldner of TICO Records. He is archived in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and RAICES Latin Music Museum in New York.

He is survived by his children, daughters Denise Gerard and Petrina Aguilar, son Sean Peter Aguilar, granddaughter Gina Gerard, grandson Noah Aguilar, sisters Socorro Blackman, Chickie Masdeu, Yvette Masdeu, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dance partner, Barbara Craddock. He is predeceased by his brothers Tony Aguilar and Pedro Aguilar, Jr., and his mother, Nellie Trujillo Masdeu.

[ Ссылка ]

свернуть