The Dancing Cansinos

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The Dancing Cansinos [1] were a family of dancers and actors including American actress Rita Hayworth, and Spanish dancer Antonio Cansino. The family performed and toured extensively in New York City and Spain.

The elder generation of the Dancing Cansinos were Antonio and Carmen Cansino. Antonio fused traditional Romani and classical Spanish dance to create modern-day Spanish dance.

The couple had seven children who were all dancers: Eduardo, Jose, Angel, Paco, Antonio Jr., Rafael and Elisa Cansino. [2]

Around 1910, Eduard Cansino and Elisa Cansino performed in Vaudeville theaters on the B. F. Keith Circuit. [2] [3]

While performing in and around New York City, The Dancing Cansinos included Eduardo Cansino, Sr. (March 2, 1895 – December 24, 1968), his wife, Volga Hayworth (August 8, 1897 – January 25, 1945), daughter Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), and son, Eduardo, Jr. (October 13, 1919 – March 11, 1974).

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Antonio Cansino (1865–1954) was a flamenco dancer and guitarist credited with creating modern-day Spanish dance by combining classical Spanish dance and Romani flamenco. He was popularly known for dancing the bolero. He was the father of Eduardo Cansino and the grandfather of Rita Hayworth, who were both famous dancers and actors. He is the patriarch of The Dancing Cansinos. He performed for the King of Spain and instructed Rita Hayworth's first dance lesson.

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References

  1. Joe Laurie, Jr (1953). Vaudeville From The Honky Tonks To The Palace. Universal Digital Library. Henry Holt And Company. p. 154.
  2. 1 2 Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Thomson Gale. 2007. ISBN   978-0-7876-7585-1.
  3. "Cansino, Elisa (b. 1895) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-03-23.