Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Riverais an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theatre. She is the first Hispanic woman and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009...
NationalityPuerto Rican
ProfessionStage Actress
Date of Birth23 January 1933
believe language speak
I'm bugged because I can't believe I can't speak every language there is. But I feel I can when I sit and am with somebody, and I can dance for them. Because dance is dialogue without language.
painful looking-back
Looking back doesn't have to be painful.
fun who-i-am years
For some of us, the Gypsy years can go on forever ... That isn't such a bad thing. When all is said and done, they're a lot of fun. The truth is, I liked being a Gypsy. It's who I was. And it's still a lot of who I am. Gypsy, it's a good word.
believe important culture
I do believe that separation can be a bit damaging at times. To be happy about yourself and your culture and all of that is necessary and fulfilling, but the whole tapestry is what's important.
dance mother president
Mother loved dance so much that she thought (ballerina) Margot Fonteyn should be the president.
memories single-mom film
Many of the shows I danced in don't exist on film, but they do exist in the memories of those who were in the theater for that single moment in time. And nothing can replace that.
thinking groups grew
My neighborhood was a great neighborhood; it was filled with all sorts of ethnic groups and things. So I grew up thinking I was a human being.
theatre immediate-gratification gratification
Theatre is immediate gratification
believe heart soul
I am young in my energy because I really still believe that we can share who we are, and we can wipe off on each other. I see this huge tapestry when we're born, and this red blob that's your soul or your heart.
light theatre speak
You take a plug and put it in a socket, and that's what the theatre is-it lights up right away. You speak, and they respond immediately.
brave face jokes kinda run texas
I don't know what Texas is all about. We kinda make jokes about it, like being run out of town. But we're brave enough to face it.
face father looked mentioned noses people red saw
I looked out and saw all these Rudolph red noses and people crying. It's like what Lisa went through today. I saw it all over her face when I mentioned her father and all that.
communication theatre
It's communication - that's what theatre is all about.
body spirit good-things
The spirit of dance is an amazing thing. When the body and the spirit meet, it's a good thing.