Pedro "Cuban Pete" Aguilar
June 14, 1927 – January 13, 2009
Pedro “Cuban Pete” Aguilar, 81, passed away on January 13, 2009, in Miami, FL.
Cuban Pete grew up in New York’s El Barrio and made his mark in the Latin dance world at the dawn of the Mambo craze, in New York’s famous Palladium Ballroom, and from there vaulted to international prominence. Known as the "King of the Latin Beat," "Mr. Mambo," and the "Prince of the Palladium," he invented scores of dance movements and hand embellishments now viewed as standards of Latin dance. He served as a catalyst for social change in the entertainment and social arenas by being the first "man with a tan" to dance with a white woman onstage; in 1951 he danced with Millie Donay at the Palladium, ushering in one of the first instances of integration on the dance floor.
In his multi-decade career, he performed in movies, television, stage, and danced for American Presidents, heads of state and dignitaries, as well as serve as choreographer and consultant for the film, "Mambo Kings." He adjudicated at many prestigious dance events worldwide, and was a skilled lecturer on the history of Latin dance and music.
With Barbara Craddock, he helped make history in the preservation of "clave," by serving as choreographic consultant and instructor for Miami City Ballet’s unprecedented work, "Mambo No. 2 a.m.," and was choreographer for "Latin Magic," an original mambo ballet for the University of the Arts School of Dance in Philadelphia.
The recipient of numerous awards for his contributions to Latin dance, he was referred to as "the greatest mambo dancer ever" by LIFE Magazine, Tito Puente and George Goldner of TICO Records. He is archived in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and RAICES Latin Music Museum in New York.
He is survived by his children, daughters Denise Gerard and Petrina Aguilar, son Sean Peter Aguilar, granddaughter Gina Gerard, grandson Noah Aguilar, sisters Socorra Blackman, Chickie Masdeu, Yvette Masdeu, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dance partner, Barbara Craddock. He is predeceased by his brothers Tony Aguilar and Pedro Aguilar, Jr., and his mother, Nellie Trujillo Masdeu.
In celebration of his life, a gathering will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2009, 1-3 p.m., with a memorial service at 3 p.m., at Boyd’s Family Funeral Home, 6400 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, FL. A memorial service will be held in New York at a later date, details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:
Boys Harbor Inc. - Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts
One East 104th Street
New York, NY 10029-4495
Attn: Nina Olson
In Memoriam: Pedro "Cuban Pete" Aguilar
Cuban Pete is now dancing "en clave" with the angels.
You can send a personal e-mail to Cuban Pete's family here
Cuban Pete was a legendary dancer known world-wide for his talent and passion for the mambo. |more...
Barbara Craddock was born in New York and has been a professional dancer since the age of 15. |more...
Today Cuban Pete teaches group and private mambo and Latin dance classes at his partner Barbara Craddock's studio in North Miami. |more...
Check the Calendar of Events page for more information about upcoming workshops. |more...
© Copyright 2002-109 Cuban Pete Enterprises,
All rights Reserved.
| Archive | Newer | Older |
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Lifetime Achievement Award for Pedro ‘Cuban Pete’ Aguilar
“Dancing is a gift,” 80-year-old Pedro ‘Cuban Pete’ Aguilar notes in an article in today’s Sun Sentinel. “My mother gave it to me, and it’s my duty to pass it on.”
Aguilar is being honored, along with his dance partner, Barbara Craddock at the annual Latin Jazz USA Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Awards. The event takes place at the Manuel Artime Theater in Miami’s Little Havana.
“The awards are given each year to recognize the contributions artists have made to Afro Cuban jazz and Latin jazz,” the Sentinel reports. “Aguilar and Craddock are the first dancers to
receive the award, named for the late O’Farrill, a Cuban bandleader and composer.”
Pedro ‘Cuban Pete’ Aguilar (www.salsapower.com/cubanpete/)
On his website, Aguilar’s dancing career is put into perspective: “Cuban Pete made his mark in the Latin dance world at the dawn of the mambo craze, at the Palladium Ballroom, the 'Home of the Mambo,' vaulting from there to international eminence. By March 1950, Cuban Pete had nabbed 63 first prizes at the Palladium, forever immortalizing mambo with his creation of over 100 steps, still the standards of today. These include but are not limited to, the Porpoise, the Prayer, the Shimmy Shimmy, a sort of demi-plie with a knee shimmy action exactly on the clave, the Tango Fan, Handball Mambo, the Head Snap, and the Cuban Pete Special, a kick tap tap, en clave, the most widely imitated step in New York mambo. Handwork, never before used as embellishment in Latin dance, became his trade mark, so much so that Machito often referred to him as ‘El Cuchillo’ (the knife.) Dance Magazine, (March 1959), Albert and Josephine Butler, ranked Pete #1 on their list of mambo luminaries. ‘Cuban Pete will kick his feet in the air and beat the dance floor with his knuckles, all in fine mambo rhythm.’ Cuban Pete, 50 years later, still dances a sizzling mambo, currently with his partner, Barbara Craddock. They perform, teach and judge nationally and internationally."
No comments:
Post a Comment