Antonio

Antonio (orig. Antonio Ruiz Soler;b Seville, 4 Nov. 1922, d Madrid, 6 Feb. 1996). Spanish dancer, choreographer, and director. He studied, with his cousin Rosario, under Manuel Real (Realito) in Seville and made his debut with her in Liège in 1928. Their partnership was known as Los Chavalillos Sevillanos while they were children but they continued to dance with each other for the next twenty years appearing all over the world (US debut, 1940, London debut, 1951). Antonio in particular became the most famous Spanish dancer of his generation, with a charismatic personality and virtuoso footwork. The partnership split up in 1953 and he formed his own company, Antonio and the Ballets de Madrid. He choreographed many works for this, in a combination of Spanish and classical styles, and several were subsequently taken into the repertories of other companies.

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