Giglio Theatre Dance Players, 1950s – 1972
and
Theatre School of Dance, 1945 – 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
Sadly, here are a few obituaries for past members of the
Giglio Theatre Dance Players
Betsy
Haug: Dancer, choreographer, master teacher
“Betsy's performing career ranged from Broadway (Dance
Captain in Promises, Promises) to ballet (two shows as ballet soloist at Radio
City Music Hall) to television (Kraft Music Hall, Tony Awards, Ed Sullivan
Show) and the national company of West Side Story. Betsy later became an
international choreographer and master-teacher in New York, London, Tokyo,
Rome, Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City and Toronto for (among others) Peter
Allen, Joel Grey Gloria Gaynor and Liza Minnelli. Betsy also opened her own
dance studio in New York, becoming one of Manhattan's most popular jazz dance
teachers.”
https://obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/elizabeth-ogden-1083757404
obit: Published by
The Daily Record on Nov. 11, 2021
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailyrecordnews/name/elizabeth-ogden-obituary?id=31474107
Gregory
Steven King: Danced with Joffrey Ballet, Royal
Ballet of Canada; understudy for Rudolph Nureyev, teacher
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/seattletimes/name/gregory-king-obituary?id=15766322
http://www.crookssecondlinekw.com/honorees-bios/2017/1/11/honoring-gregory-steven-king
https://www.google.com/search?q=gregory+steven+king+ballet+dancer+youtube&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS779US779&oq=gregory+steven+king++ballet+dancer+++youtube&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64.12664j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:8473b196,vid:-dLY7XiTmH8,st:0
John
F. ‘Jackie’ Davis: Professional skater with Ice
Follies and Holiday on Ice
interview with Davis file:///C:/Users/Margie/Downloads/Richmond_Times_Dispatch_1977-10-04_24%202%20(3).pdf
obit sent to me by a person who knew
him; Jackie died on 11/05/1989
Mary Flanagan: Taught dance for the
Giglios in the school’s early years
obit, Nov 5, 2005
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=mary-b-flanagan&pid=15667919
Cleo
Lee King: Mrs. Giglio’s daughter who taught
for the Giglios
Seattle
Times, Dec 25, 1949 p.25 Cleo Lee, who studied with dancer, Ruth St. Dennis, to
perform in a Christmas show
https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy.spl.org/apps/news/document-view?hlterms=giovanni%3B%20giglio&p=WORLDNEWS&pedirect=true&docref=image/v2%3A127D718D1E33F961%40EANX-NB-12AF4BF1054E7B5F%402433276-12AF49EDF7358238%4024-12AF49EDF7358238%40
obit,
died Aug 3, 2002 Seattle
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/seattletimes/name/cleo-king-obituary?id=29552379
Ed
Cruver: Lead dancer with Theatre Dance Players, jazz pianist
https://www.shorelineareanews.com/2023/08/obituary-ed-cruver-1938-2023.html
https://www.shorelineareanews.com/2020/06/a-local-author-is-seeking-help-giglio.html
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
marjoriesbooks@gmail.com