Sonia Amelio (born

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico, 1941) is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

dancer, musician, choreographer, and actress. She is a

castanet Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...

player. Amelio was on stage as a pianist and ballerina from age six. She was trained in dance, both classical ballet and traditional Spanish and Latin American styles. For the latter, she often utilized castanets. Amelio has developed castanet arrangements to accompany works of such composers as Chopin and

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

, and has performed them as a guest artist with orchestras in several countries, including the city symphonies of

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

, Russia and

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...

, Germany. She has also developed dance routines to accompany the works of romantic era composers such as

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and Paganini. Amelio appeared in films and television programs in her native Mexico during the 1960s and 1970s. Her one appearance in a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

film was a small part in director

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received two Academy Award nominations and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Instit ...

’s ''

The Wild Bunch ''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw gang ...

'' (1969). She portrays a young Mexican woman named Teresa who is shot to death by a lover from her pueblo in a public square after scorning him for a warlord General Mapache. She has conducted seminars and master classes on dance and choreography outside Mexico. Her institutional affiliations have included the Choreographic Institute of

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and the Ana Pavlova Institute in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Partial filmography

*''Los tres calaveras'' (1965) - Herself *'' A Faithful Soldier of Pancho Villa'' (1967) - María Dolores *''

'' (1969) - Teresa *''El crepúsculo de un dios'' (1969) - Angela Baretti / Sonia Amelio *''Remolino de pasiones'' (1970) - Dancer *''The Fearmaker'' (1971) - Linda *''Tacos al carbón'' (1972) - Leonor *''Mi niño Tizoc'' (1972) - Raquel, enfermera *''Me caí de la nube'' (1974) - Emma *''Los 7 pecados capitales'' (1975) *''Los tres compadres'' (1975) *'' Nobleza ranchera'' (1977) *''De Cocula es el mariachi'' (1978) - (final film role)

References

External links

*
Sonia Amelio Official Website
(In Spanish) 1941 births Living people Castanets players 20th-century Mexican actresses Mexican choreographers Mexican women choreographers Mexican female dancers Mexican musicians {{Mexico-musician-stub