Sunday, March 25, 2018

Giglio Photo Gallery


 The Giglio Theatre Dance Players Photo Gallery

Even in the early years of the Seattle Theatre School of Dance, Giovanni and Henriette Giglio put on very high quality recitals, fully staged with painted scenery, lighting and costuming.  And the dancers performed choreography for which they were well-trained and rehearsed.  For a number of years the recitals were held in June at the Women’s Century Club Theatre just off Broadway on Roy Street.  
                                        
1.  Giovanni and Henriette Giglio, school and company directors, teachers, choreographers


2.  Stage full of elves, dress rehearsal for 1951 recital
3.  Publicity photo for a Christmas show, 1956


4.  Jolly Instruments, Music: George Kleinsinger 1956/57
5. Rhapsody in Blue ballet presented live on KCTS TV, 1957
6. Ladies of the Press, number from a stage show at the Catholic church in Wallingford, 1957 
                 























7 & 8 The school recitals were popular and often played to ‘sold out’ audiences
Jun 23, 1955 North Central Outlook, p.6 “Dance Production is ‘All Sold Out’ "
Jun 20, 1957 North Central Outlook, p.6 Take Three Guys featuring Theatre Dance Players, photo from the Rhapsody in Blue Ballet, "Sold Out"
                                    






9. Theatre Dance Players gave many performances through the Green Lake C. of C. including Open houses, Christmans shows and the Miss Green Lake pageants, (North Central Outlook, July 5, 1956, p.1)












10 & 11  "Classic Ballet" and "Musical Comedy" photos from a school brochure, late 50s 














12. Giovanni Giglio to perform at Olympic Hotel, 1957
13 Flamenco dress that female members of the company wore in Spanish dances (though not all in the same color).  The costume contained 26 yards of fabric, including petticoat.

                                                                                                    



















14. Jose Greco Invites the Giglio Dancers to perform as encore to his show, Seattle Opera House 1968











15. Dress rehearsal for the June recital held at the Roosevelt High School auditorium,
      Giovann Giglio is on the left, 1966













16. Publicity photo of four lovely, graceful dancers for the 1969 school recital



















17. Members from the boys class photo around mid-60s



















18.  Giglios to travel Spain, 1972



Photo upper right: A Sunday Special from Bill Speidel’s Seattle Guide, Dec 1-9, 1967





https://www.shorelineareanews.com/2020/06/a-local-author-is-seeking-help-giglio.html


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Here are names of the Giglio Theatre Dance Players as taken from programs and newspaper clippings.  Please contact me for additions or corrections to this list  (See "comments" section  below)

Sandy Arntzen
Patty Bailey
Susan Barmuta
Virginia Billington
Judy Birney
Edna Bixler
Flora Blume
Mark Blume
Linda Bonnington
Peggy Bovee
Glen Breed
Jane Brotnov
Carma Joy Brumble
Cecelia Campbell
Debbie Claypoole
Camilla Cruver
Ed Cruver
Janet Dadosio
Cindy Daly
Jack Davis
Kathleen Feeley
Galen Graf
Stan Harbin
Ralph Harris
Betsy Haug
Peggy Haug
Carla Holden
Dorothy Holland
Marilyn Hoyt
Jamie Houston
Linda Hyllingren
Judy Inglis
Maurice Inglis
Debbie Irving
Lael Jacobson,
Greg King
La Von King
Louis Krmpotich
Steve Lindsey
Kevin Long 
Francine Lusk
Nancy Makela
Debbie O’Neil
Renee Petrut
Judy Reeve
Marjorie Rhodes
Anne Ridgway
Dale Rowe
Gary Schultz
Jean Semon
Darrel Shelton
Jack Smith
Janne Takizawa
Mel Thomas 
Sharon Westerholm
Patty Wilson

A few school ads

Seattle Times Sep 16, 56, p.23 



North Central Outlook, appears Aug 21, 1969 through Sept 25, 1969


North Central Outlook, Aug 27, 1959, p.6 with photo of the Giglio building.
















North Central Outlook ads
Dec 20, 1967 p.13 Dancers trimming the Giglios' Christmas tree
Aug 26, 1965 p.4, photo of 4 dancers; ad repeats Sep 2, p.4
May 27, 1959 p.4 School ad with 4 little swans repeats in later issues
Jul 11, 1967 p.15, From Columbine ballet
Aug 14, 1966 p.5, Photo from Les Patineurs (the skaters) ad repeats in later issues
Pre 1960 School ad, Giovani Giglio and Henriette Hansen prior to their marriage

















Saturday, February 17, 2018

Theatre Dance Players, 1950s – 1972; and

Theatre School of Dance, 1940s – 1972

Teachers, Directors, Choreographers: Giovanni and Henriette Giglio

I’m seeking information through newspaper articles, programs, photographs, and personal memory stories for a history project on the Giglio dancers and school.  I need names, dates, places, and sources please.

This was a major dance school in Seattle beginning in the 1940s, established in the Green Lake District.  It was founded by Giovanni Giglio and Henriette Hansen who later became Mr. and Mrs.  They also founded the Theatre Dance Players Company in the 1950s, which performed in many local events sponsored by the Green Lake Chamber of Commerce (Christmas shows, Seafair activities, and open houses at the school). 

The Theatre Dance Players also performed in classical concerts, under the musical direction of Denton Rossell, with choreography by the Giglios.  This dance troupe also performed in local musical and opera productions (Seattle Civic Opera and Seattle Opera on Wheels); and in live televised original ballets on KCTS (channel 9 in Seattle, e.g. The White Dove Ballet & the Rhapsody in Blue Ballet).  Giglio dancers performed in benefits through fraternal organizations.  And these were the dancers who performed with the Jose Greco Show when he would bring his dance company to Seattle.

A number of Giglio dancers performed individually with Seattle Opera, in local musical theatre productions, night club revues, and northwest television appearances.  Some Giglio dancers had professional careers in other parts of the country and other parts of the world: e.g. NY’s Radio City Hall ballet troupe, Broadway musicals, Las Vegas, and also Europe and Asia.  The Giglio company dancers were trained and experienced in various dance arts: classical, musical theatre, jazz and flamenco.

The Giglios moved to Spain about 1972 at the request of Jose Greco who was a world famous flamenco dancer.  He wanted Mr. Giglio to teach for him there.  Jose Greco’s gain was Seattle’s loss.

Thus far my research has included The Green Lake Public Library and Downtown Central Library; the Green Lake Chamber of Commerce (no longer formally organized); The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI); the Seattle Times index of newspaper articles covering the years that the Giglios were here.  I have also posted to Nextdoor – a web site covering a number of north Seattle neighborhoods including Green Lake. 

I was surprised to find a little information on the Giglios on ancestry.com and more that was sent to me by a volunteer with this web site (You might need to log in to ancestry.com for access to this.) https://www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.northam.usa.states.washington.counties.king/7545.1/mb.ashx 

The following book contains a photo of the Giglio school and some information: Seattle’s Music Venues, book by Jolie Dawn Bergman  p.72

Sad to say, I have also found obits for:
Mary Flanagan, who taught for the Giglios in the early years of this school

Gregory Steven King who danced professionally with the Joffrey Ballet and much more
and began his training at the Theatre School of Dance

Cleo Lee King (Mrs. Giglio’s daughter who taught for the Giglios

And a web site for Betsy Haug who has dementia but was a prominent dancer, teacher and choreographer with jazz dance being her specialty.

Any contacts and whereabouts of other Giglio dancers would be much appreciated.  This could possibly develop into a book.

Marjorie Rhodes
Seattle Historian and former Giglio dancer