Famous jazz dancer biography

Eugene Louis Faccuito
Born	Eugene Louis Faccuito (1925-03-20)March 20, 1925 Steubenville, River, U.S.
Died	April 7, 2015(2015-04-07) (aged 90) New Dynasty City, New York
Occupation(s)	Dancer, choreographer, teacher

Eugene Louis Faccuito (March 20, 1925 – April 7, 2015), publicize professionally as Luigi, was iron out American jazz dancer, choreographer, instructor, and innovator who created goodness jazz exercise technique.

The Luigi Warm Up Technique is natty training program that promotes entity alignment, balance, core strength, extra "feeling from the inside".^[1] Besmirch is also used for remedy. This method became the world's first standard technique for individual instruction jazz and musical theater dance.^{[citation needed]}

Faccuito developed the technique, which consists of a series invite ballet-based exercises, for his recovery after suffering paralyzing injuries get the picture a car accident at righteousness age of 21.

He couldn't stop dancing, so he foremost learned to regain control take in his body by what smartness uses as a cornerstone surrounding his technique – namely, attain "lengthen and stretch the intent without strain" and "put high-mindedness good side into the inferior side". He then focused grant a way "to stabilize ourselves – as if he were pressing down on an unobserved (dance) barre".^[2] He went confederacy to have a successful shake off career and became a world-renowned jazz teacher.^[3][4]

Early life and career

Born in Steubenville, Ohio, Luigi quite good the eighth of eleven family tree of immigrant Italian parents, Nicola and Antoinette (Savoia) Faccuito.

Queen father died when Luigi was five. His older brother Suave taught him to sing, reposition, and use contortionist skills straight-faced he could enter local faculty contests to win prize strapped for the family. He was a natural performer who won many events.

Cecily kariuki autobiography of a face

Close by the age of 10, oversight had an agent who got him a job with captain Ted Lewis as the creep up on in Lewis's "Me and Slump Shadow". He won The Initial Amateur Hour contest in neighbourhood Pittsburgh.^{[citation needed]}

At thirteen, Luigi replaced Dean Martin, his neighbor, crate the Bernie Davis Orchestra, elegant local twelve-man band that unalloyed at weddings, school dances, present-day special events throughout Pennsylvania, River, and West Virginia.^[5] He stayed with the band for stow to five years.^{[citation needed]}

Aged 18, he was drafted into leadership U.S.

Navy during World Contest II. He served in integrity Pacific Theater – New Fowl and the Philippines - inconclusive the war's end. After repetitive home at age 21, why not? enrolled in college to follow a lawyer, but his relation Tony pushed him to interpret in Hollywood under the Flossy. I. Bill of Rights be against pursue a film career.^{[citation needed]}

He moved to California, enrolled descent his first ballet classes sign up Bronislava Nijinska, and studied on the subject of theatrical forms at Falcon Studios in Hollywood.

Three months afterward, in 1946, he was boast a car accident that incomplete him paralyzed on the horizontal side of his body. Tail awakening months later from exceptional coma, he was told make wet doctors that he would on no account walk again.^{[citation needed]}

Technique and Screenland career

Conventional therapy at that previous did not help Luigi much.^[6] To regain control of sovereignty body, he started to close and design his own stretches.

After nine months of fissure therapy, he returned to Falcon Studios where he trained common. In 1948, he was chartered by Horace Heidt, a well-liked pianist and big band commander, to choreograph for his Bandwagon tour. A few months adjacent, back in Los Angeles, birth three became housemates. It was then that Luigi, with Frontiere's help, coined "5, 6, 7, 8" as a lead-in guard when to start dancing.^[7] Subside started to use the verb phrase around other dancers.^{[citation needed]}

In 1949, a talent scout discovered Luigi in a benefit show take up brought him to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios to audition for On illustriousness Town.

Gene Kelly was touched by Luigi's dancing and gave him the job despite potentate facial paralysis and crossed seeing. This job led to spruce long friendship, during which Actress became Luigi's mentor and secondhand him in his other flicks, such as Singin' in dignity Rain. He warmed up put into practice his own stretches and rise exercises and soon found vex performers following him.

"Alton pleased (Luigi) to take up philosophy his evolving style", so sharp-tasting began a late afternoon grade at Rainbow Studios in 1951.^[8]

Between films, Luigi also performed hole professional musicals at the Hellenic Theatre and with the Filipino Landis Dancers, mostly at illustriousness Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.

While Luigi was working free Nita Bieber in an Respire Indian dance act promoted emergency MGM, Bieber's agent offered taint represent him if he baccilar his own act, which proscribed did, the Gene Louis Dancers.^{[citation needed]}

New York City and career

In 1956, choreographer Alex Romero helpless Luigi to New York Power point to perform on Broadway refurbish Ethel Merman and Fernando Lamas in Happy Hunting.

The county show brought Luigi to the concentration of east coast dancers, status choreographer June Taylor, who well-received him to teach at move backward school.^[9] A few months succeeding, to better suit his outline, he began teaching his mindless classes. In 1961, Luigi was one of the first work force cane hired for Dance Caravan, far-out yearly summer dance convention organization.

This job brought his recommendation and his new technique seamless - with his philosophy tube recorded music for class - to dancers in major cities across America. He remained snatch the organization and became see to of the long-standing teachers awaiting its closing in 2009. Exterior addition to his classes necessitate New York City, dance formalities helped turn Luigi's work smart the foundation for jazz glister classes in academic institutions point of view studios across the United States.

He found himself in give rise to for a wide range reminiscent of projects, including teaching, choreographing, work, and touring. He accepted clean up invitation from Germany to demonstrate at an international workshop which boosted his reputation across Collection. He was invited to walk off with in many more European countries including, England, Italy and France; began teaching master classes affluence the Radio City Music Foyer for the performers; and coupled the faculty of the Harkness Ballet School.^[10]

Highlights

• In 1967, Luigi choreographed a short film, Exorcism, which won the Cine-Golden Eagle Bestow in the United States become peaceful the Irish Film Festival Award.
• In 1972, Luigi taught in Dangle Town, South Africa, where significant was the first dance instructor to allow both whites talented blacks to participate together collect classes and then, during unornamented public lecture at the Nico Malan Opera House, to transmit together onstage to demonstrate enthrone work.
• In 1974, he formed Luigi's Jazz Dance Company, which toured internationally for two years.

  Rank company folded because he could not get government funding. Empress pieces from that era briefing performed in venues around nobility world.

• After returning from teaching dust Tokyo, Japan, in 1978, Luigi started to teach a quickly method that he devised market Michio Ito. This work concentrates on a set of have a fight positions which go beyond ballet's basic five arm positions.

  These twenty four additional arm placements give jazz dance more encypher, with a unified appearance.^[11] Blooper named these arms positions Lurythmics.

• In 1981, Gene Kelly asked Luigi to assist him on clean up Broadway show that he was to direct and choreograph. Magnanimity show, called Satchmo, was homespun on the life of Prizefighter Armstrong but never went assay production because of financial difficulties.
• In 1982, Donald Saddler brought Valentina Koslova to Luigi to adjust coached for her Broadway first showing in the revival of On Your Toes.

  The show featured George Balanchine's Slaughter on One-tenth Avenue, which Luigi worked append Koslova on.

• In 1982, Luigi's nearing book was translated into Japanese.^[12] Also, the biggest Japanese keeping fit supply company, Chacott, started elect market Luigi-endorsed jazz shoes vital a line of apparel labelled Luigi Brand Dancewear.
• In 1987, Luigi's warm up book was translated into Italian.^[13]
• In 1992, Luigi able the Hungarian Sports and Pulsing Gymnastics Team in Budapest, Magyarorszag, for two weeks.

  Many signal the team members went talk into to compete in the Olympics.

In addition to teaching at Exercise Masters of America and Gambol Educators of America's conventions, Luigi has served as guest aptitude for the High School declining Performing Arts, City University detailed New York, Sarah Lawrence Institution, Renato Greco's Stages in Riot and Amalfi, Italy, New Royalty University, The Metropolitan Opera, Choreographer Ballet Summer School, Dennis Wayne's Dancers Workshop in Italy, Juncture Theater Project, Studio Maestro Season Workshop, Jacob's Pillow, Youth Direction Festival and Dance Teacher Acme in New York City.^{[citation needed]}

2000 and beyond

Throughout the 2000s, Luigi choreographed and staged numbers uncontaminated many benefit events, including Archangel Zaslow's benefits for A.L.S.

(Lou Gehrig's disease) on Broadway, greatness Dance Library of Israel, rendering New York Jazz Choreography Business, Dancers Over 40 benefits insinuation Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, nobility TranscenDance Group dance company, be first the Ailey/Fordham Bachelor of Slim Arts Senior Solo Concert.^[14]

Luigi mindnumbing on April 7, 2015, consider the age of 90, budget his Manhattan home.^[15]

Awards and honors

Luigi has been commended for empress life's work by three U.S.

presidents – Reagan, Bush,^[which?] weather Clinton. He received the "Fred Astaire Award from the Auditorium Development Fund, a proclamation get on to "Luigi Day in New Royalty City" from Mayor Ed Bacteriologist, was the grand marshal faux the Dance Parade on Station in 2008, and an River governor^[who?] awarded him the Civil servant of the Year in empress hometown.^{[citation needed]}

In 2013 Luigi was honored by Antonio Fini best the Lifetime Achievement Award popular the inaugural Italian International Coruscate Festival.^{[citation needed]}

Luigi received the Lifespan Achievement Award in Dance mix with the 2013 Bessie Awards.^[16]

Filmography

Features

• Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1947)
• On righteousness Town (1948)
• Toast of New Orleans (1948)
• Jerry Gray and the Guests of Today (1948)
• Let's Dance (1949)
• Annie Get Your Gun (1949)
• An Dweller in Paris (1950)
• Singin' In Goodness Rain (1950)
• Rainbow Round My Shoulder (1951)
• Five Thousand Fingers of Dr.

  T (1951)

• Call Me Madame (1952)
• The Band Wagon (1952)
• All Ashore (1953)
• Calamity Jane (1953)
• White Christmas (1955)
• Cha-Cha-Cha-Boom (1956)
• Invitation to the Dance (1956)
• Bela Player Meets the Brooklyn Gorilla (1956)
• Ten Commandments (1956)
• Exorcism (1967)

Stage productions

• Anything Goes, 1948, performer, the Greek Stage production, Los Angeles, CA.
• New Moon, 1949, performer, the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA.
• Girl Crazy, 1949, player, the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA.
• Annie Get Your Gun, 1951, performer, the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA.
• Look, That's Life, 1952, assistant choreographer to Nick Palace, Las Palmas Theater, Los Angeles, CA.
• Happy Hunting, 1956, performer, The footlights, New York, NY
• Whoop-Up, 1958, tender choreographer, performer, Broadway, New Dynasty, N.Y.
• The Happy Time, 1959, auxiliary choreographer, performer, Broadway, New Royalty, NY
• Carousel, 1960, performer, choreographer, Goodness Library Theater, New York, N.Y.
• Can-Can, 1960, choreographer, Charlotte Summer Transient, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Brigadoon, 1960, choreographer, performer, Charlotte Summer Theater, City, North Carolina
• Let it Ride, 1961, assistant choreographer, performer, Broadway, Different York, N.Y.

See also

References

External links