Antonio Cansino

Antonio Cansino
Born(1865-04-21)April 21, 1865
Seville, Spain
DiedJuly 20, 1954(1954-07-20) (aged 89)
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery
SpouseCarmen Reina
Children7, including Elisa and Eduardo

Antonio Cansino (April 21, 1865 – July 20, 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.[1] 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.[2] He performed for the King of Spain and instructed Rita Hayworth's first dance lesson.[2]

Early life

Antonio Cansino was born on April 21, 1865, in Seville, Spain. He operated dance academies in Seville and Madrid.[3]

He married dancer Carmen Reina. The couple had seven children who were all dancers: Eduardo, Jose, Angel, Paco, Antonio Jr., Rafael and Elisa Cansino.[4][5] Since all his children were dancers, the family was known as The Dancing Cansinos.[2]

He immigrated to the United States around 1936.[2]

Death

Antonio died at General Hospital due to reoccurring heart failure (aged 88–89). A private Catholic ceremony was held. He was survived by 6 children and 7 grandchildren. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery.[2]

References

  1. ^ Hancock, Ian F. (2002). We are the Romani People. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. ISBN 978-1-902806-19-8.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Antonio Cansino RIP (Rita Hayworth's grandfather)". The Los Angeles Times. June 22, 1954. p. 37. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Xavier Cugat i Mingall – Rita Hayworth". www.xaviercugat.com. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Cansino, Elisa (b. 1895) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Thomson Gale. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7876-7585-1.