Don Lurio
Encyclopedia
Donald Benjamin Lurio, better known with his stage name of Don Lurio (Born 15 November 1929 in New York
- died 26 January 2003 in Rome
) was an American-born Italian dance
r, choreographer
and presenter for the RAI, the Italian television.
Born in the United States by Italian ancestors, operated a dance studio on Broadway
with Bob Fosse
and Jack Cole
, then toured Europe before arriving in Italy
in 1957.
Openly gay
(considered scandalous given the morals of the time), it took until 1961 to establish himself on Italian Television.
Had a long term relationship with Livio Costagli , who died in 1994 at the age of 44 years from complications caused by the AIDS
virus.
He appeared in several Italian films of the 1960s and 1970s. He also appeared in a handful of British films.
In 1970 he choreograped the interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest
(The Don Lurio Dancers).
He died in 2003 from respiratory failure.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- died 26 January 2003 in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) was an American-born Italian dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r, choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
and presenter for the RAI, the Italian television.
Born in the United States by Italian ancestors, operated a dance studio on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
with Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
and Jack Cole
Jack Cole (choreographer)
Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...
, then toured Europe before arriving in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1957.
Openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
(considered scandalous given the morals of the time), it took until 1961 to establish himself on Italian Television.
Had a long term relationship with Livio Costagli , who died in 1994 at the age of 44 years from complications caused by the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
virus.
He appeared in several Italian films of the 1960s and 1970s. He also appeared in a handful of British films.
In 1970 he choreograped the interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
(The Don Lurio Dancers).
He died in 2003 from respiratory failure.