Inspired to dance after seeing a performance by José Greco, Luis Rivera first trained in his native Los Angeles and then in Spain. He performed widely with Ballet Espanol Ximénez-Vargas, including his 1960 Pillow debut, and toured with Greco’s company for three years. He would ultimately appear at the Pillow in eight different seasons over two decades, often in the companies of Maria Alba, José Molina, and Ximénez-Vargas. The formation of Rivera’s own company came about because of an invitation to perform at the Pillow in 1970 which he initially declined, but ultimately led to what Rivera called “this newest, most exciting phase of my career.” The performance seen here was part of his company’s second Pillow engagement, which subsequently appeared here in 1981. When he died of AIDS in 1992 at age 54, the New York Times lauded “the intensity, warmth and understated virtuosity of his dancing.”
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