Emile Ardolino & Luis Rodriguez-Villa

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Emile Ardolino (May 9, 1943 in Maspeth, New York – November 20, 1993) was one of the top directors in Hollywood, particularly of dance-related films, best known for his films Dirty Dancing (1987) and Sister Act (1992).

Ardolino developed a passion for Broadway shows as a teenager. He claimed to have seen the original production of Gypsy twenty-five times.

He began his film career making documentaries of Broadway musicals, including Oh! Calcutta! and Astarte. He designed the original multimedia concept for Jesus Christ Superstar. Along with Merrill Brockway, he produced the Dance in America series for PBS.

Ardolino’s first major Hollywood film was Dirty Dancing, a hugely successful low-budget film which made Patrick Swayze a star. Ardolino’s other films include Chances Are, Three Men and a Little Lady, Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg, and The Nutcracker with McCauley Culkin.

Ardolino, who lived openly gay, died in 1993 of complications from AIDS. His longtime companion was Luis Miguel Rodriguez-Villa. He was buried in New York next to his parents, his mother having died in 1975. His last films, The Nutcracker, (based on George Balanchine's New York City Ballet version), and the television production of Gypsy starring Bette Midler in the role created on Broadway by Ethel Merman, were released and shown posthumously.



Stern, Keith (2009-09-01). Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals (Kindle Locations 1574-1583). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

Further Readings:

Envisioning Dance on Film and Video
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Routledge; Pap/DVD edition (July 5, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0415941717
ISBN-13: 978-0415941716
Amazon: Envisioning Dance on Film and Video

Virtually everyone working in dance today uses electronic media technology. Envisioning Dance on Film and Video chronicles this 100-year history and gives readers new insight on how dance creatively exploits the art and craft of film and video. In fifty-three essays, choreographers, filmmakers, critics and collaborating artists explore all aspects of the process of rendering a three-dimensional art form in two-dimensional electronic media. Many of these essays are illustrated by ninety-three photographs and a two-hour DVD (40 video excerpts).

A project of UCLA – Center for Intercultural Performance, made possible through The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.wac.ucla.edu/cip).