Fely Franquelli (November 11, 1916 – January 8, 2002) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

dancer,

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, and actress. Franquelli became known in the international dance scene in the 1930s.

Early life and career

Franquelli, who was of Filipino, Spanish and Italian descent, was born in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

. She attended school in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and Hong Kong before immigrating to the United States where she attended the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

. The widow of a former Army surgeon, Fely was, upon her death at age 85, buried at Arlington National Cemetery beside her husband. According to Salvador P. Lopez, she was a dancer who exuded the poise of a polished professional with the smoothness, the grace and the skill that come with confidence in oneself and with certitude of knowledge. She had a brief film career and her most known role was in ''

Back to Bataan ''Back to Bataan'' is a 1945 American black-and-white World War II war film drama from RKO Radio Pictures, produced by Robert Fellows, directed by Edward Dmytryk, that stars John Wayne and Anthony Quinn. The film depicts events (some fictionaliz ...

'' as Dalisay Delgado, the former fiancée of Captain Andrés Bonifácio, who is apparently collaborating with the Japanese, broadcasting propaganda over the radio. (In actuality, Delgado was also using the propaganda broadcasts as a means to relay sensitive information to the Filipino resistance without incurring Japanese suspicions).

Choreography

Listed below are some dances that Franquelli created: * Hindu Temple Dance * White Eagle (Navajo) * Chinese Legend (about the goddess of beauty Ming Toy from Hainan) * Tabu (African) * Sacro Monte (a paso doble) *

Bulerías ''Bulería'' (; interchangeable with the plural, ''bulerías'') is a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows: This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known ...

(a flamenco from Malaga) * Gypsy Fortune Teller (a zambra in Granada) *

Jarabe The jarabe is one of the most traditional song forms of the mariachi genre. In the Spanish language, ''jarabe'' literally means ''syrup'', which probably refers to the mixture of meters within one ''jarabe'' (compare ''salsa''). Typically, a jar ...

(Mexican) * Le Singe Qui Danse (a monkey dance) * The Beast * Planting Rice *

Tinikling Tinikling is a traditional Philippine folk dance which originated during the Spanish colonial era. The dance involves at least two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each other in coordination with on ...

Filmography

* ''

'' (1945) as Dalisay Delgado * '' Cry 'Havoc''' (1943) as Luisita Esperito * '' The Fallen Sparrow'' (1943) (uncredited) as Gypsy Dancer * ''

The Leopard Man ''The Leopard Man'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur, and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Jean Brooks, and Margo. Based on the book ''Black Alibi'' by Cornell Woolrich, it follows a series of violent murders in a small New M ...

'' (1943) (uncredited) as Rosita

References

* Villaruz, B.E.S. "Altar" in ''CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art'', 1st ed., Vol. 5, 208. Philippines: CCP Publications Office, 1994.

Notes

External links

* Filipino film actresses Filipino choreographers Filipino female dancers Filipino emigrants to the United States Filipino people of Italian descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Actresses from Manila University of Southern California alumni 1916 births 2002 deaths {{dance-bio-stub