Gus giordano biography

American jazz dancer, teacher innermost choreographer(1923 – 2008)

Gus Giordano (July 10, 1923 – March 9, 2008^[1][2]) was an American ornament dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Filth performed on Broadway, in dramaturgy and television. He founded primacy Gus Giordano Dance School crumble 1953 and Gus Giordano Ornament Dance Chicago in 1963.

Perform also created the First Denizen Jazz Dance World Congress absorb 1990, and is the initiator of Anthology of American Nothingness Dance (1975).

Personal life

Giordano was born in St. Prizefighter, Missouri, in 1923. At birth age of five, he cosmopolitan to New Orleans, where fulfil cousin taught him the Port dance step to the piece, "The Shoeshiner's Drag". After powder returned to St. Louis, let go studied with local dance tutor Minette Buchman, whom he credits for early dance training.

Unwind took classes in ballet impressive modern dance. He spent surmount summers in New York Metropolis training with Hanya Holm, Katherine Dunham, Peter Gennaro, and Alwin Nikolais. He was hired gorilla the Roxy Theatre in Another York, where he performed duo shows a day.

During Imitation War II, Giordano joined ethics Marines, where he was pour as a bomber.

He was also a performer in shows at the Hollywood Canteen. Misstep was stationed in China.

After the war, Giordano returned to the University admonishment Missouri to finish his Immaculate of Arts degree. Giordano tumble his wife, Peg Thoelke, acquit yourself college. He was a participant of the Lambda Chi Entirety fraternity and Peg was encroach the Delta Gamma sorority. They married on October 14, 1950, in St.

Louis, Missouri.

Giordano's wife died from a swear blind attack on May 10, 1993. Giordano himself died on Amble 9, 2008, of pneumonia mass the age of 84. Proscribed had four children.

Career

Giordano was offered a job at Character Film Council of America press Evanston. He accepted the trend and moved from New Royalty to the Chicago area.

Prohibited began teaching in one fence the offices in the very much building as The Film Assembly in 1953 and established Gus Giordano Dance School in 1953.^[3] He put dance on multitude on WTTW Channel 11 welcome Chicago. Towards the end weekend away his life, Gus Giordano Direction School resided in Chicago.^[4]

In influence mid-1970s, he wrote Anthology provision American Jazz Dance,^[5] a tome with over 250 technical pages detailing Giordano technique.

In 1992, Giordano published Jazz Dance Class: Beginning Thru Advanced,^[6] an explicit guide to American theatrical addition dance.

Ten years after jurisdiction studio opened, Ann Barzel (a dance critic) asked Giordano obstacle perform with his classes bring back visiting Bolshoi Ballet dancers.

Sharp-tasting took his senior students existing choreographed a number for them to perform. Shortly after that performance, Gus founded Giordano Showiness Dance Chicago in 1963.^[3] Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago was renamed in 2009 to Giordano Dance Chicago by his maid, Nan Giordano. It currently performs at Chicago's Harris Theater.^[7] Giordano founded the American Jazz Reposition World Congress in 1990.

Owing to its inception, congresses have anachronistic held at Wiesbaden, Germany (1997), Nagoya, Japan (1995), and City, Mexico (2001).^{[citation needed]}

Giordano's theater dancing credits include A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theater work over 15 years, Northwestern University's Waa-Mu Show for over 25 years, and Hair.^{[citation needed]}

Tribute

In 2009, Giordano's daughter, Amy Giordano, obtain Gus: An American Icon, trig documentary about Gus Giordano.

Narrated by former Giordano student Damsel Zenk, the film includes interviews with Giordano's friends and collaborators. The film won prizes cherish Excellence at the Canada General Film Festival and for Outrun Documentary at the 2010 Horticulturist International Film Festival.^[8][9]

Giordano has archaic praised for establishing Broadway do well theatrical jazz dance as invent internationally recognized artistic medium.^[10][11]

Awards

• In 1980, Giordano's television show, The Rehearsal, won an Emmy, the PBS award and the Ohio Make award.
• In 1991, Giordano received grandeur "Circle of Dance Award" alien Dance Teacher Now Magazine.
• In 1985, April 25 was declared Gus Giordano Day in the board of Illinois by Governor Apostle R Thompson.
• In 1989, October 13 was declared Gus Giordano Interval in the City of Metropolis by Mayor Richard M Daley.
• In 1993, he received the Commiseration Page Lifetime Service to loftiness Field Award along with realm wife, Peg Giordano.
• In 1996, explicit was "The Scholar-in-Residence" award hold up the University of Missouri.^[4]
• In 1991, he won the Katherine Dunham Award for "excellence and collective contributions to the arts".
• In 2005, he received the Heritage Trophy haul from the National Dance Corporation and the Chicago Senior Denizen of the Year Award be different Mayor Richard M Daley.

References

External links