Elvira Santamaría also known by the artistic name of Elvira (1929 in

La Tablada La Tablada is a city in Argentina. It is located in La Matanza Partido and is part of the Greater Buenos Aires metro area. Overview La Tablada initially developed around the Buenos Aires Western Railway () station inaugurated in 1900. The s ...

– July 8, 1999) was acclaimed as a

ballet dancer A ballet dancer is a person who practices the Art (skill), art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. B ...

, milonguera and choreographer of

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a Time signature, or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in pat ...

. She was known worldwide for her role as a cast member of the show '' Tango Argentino'', aired for the first time in 1983, for which she was nominated with the other ballerinas in 1986 at the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s for best

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

. She danced with her husband Virulazo (Jorge Martín Orcaizaguirre), they presented themselves artistically as Virulazo y Elvira.

Biography

Elvira Santamaría was born in 1929 in

in the

Greater Buenos Aires Greater Buenos Aires (, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of B ...

, Argentina. In 1959 she casually re-encountered her first boyfriend, Jorge Martín Orcaizaguirre, known as Virulazo, who was known as an Argentino Dancer. She started her life partnership for the rest of her life, under the artistic name ''Virulazo and Elvira''. Virulazo recorded these moments of dance in the following way: In the 1960s, with the rise of rock, the tango ceased to be a big music genre and dance for young people: Virulazo and Elvira then worked in quiniela (illegal gambling), when they were contacted in 1983 by Juan Carlos Copes for a trial of a tango programme that Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli wanted to do in París: '' Tango Argentino''. Virulazo then weighed 126 kilos, was 57 years old, and had five children and six grandchildren. Segovia, on seeing him arrive, looked at a Copes incredulously; Copes just said "watch them dance": Years later, Claudio Segovia said of Virulazo and Elvira: ''Argentine Tango'' proved a worldwide success, in addition to promoting the revival of tango everywhere. Virulazo and Elvira took part in all shows and became global celebrities. In 1985 they presented the show on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, where the entire dance company was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

. In 1990 Virulazo died, at age 63, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

caused by smoking. Ten years later, in 1999, Elvira, died at 70 years of age.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santamaria, Elvira 1929 births 1999 deaths Dancers from Buenos Aires Argentine ballerinas Argentine choreographers Argentine women choreographers