Gus Giordano, an early and tireless popularizer of American jazz dance who organized the first Jazz Dance World Congress, died on March 9 in Chicago. He was 84.
The cause was pneumonia, according to his daughters, Nan and Amy Giordano.
Mr. Giordano was best known through the performing of his company, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, founded in 1962 and based in Evanston, and through his teaching at dance conventions throughout the United States. The company, now directed by Nan Giordano, his daughter, is said to have been the first dance troupe to dedicate itself solely to jazz dance.
The company's programs featured pieces by Mr. Giordano and later, as he grew older, included dances by guest choreographers including Mia Michaels and Davis Robertson. The performers became known for their strong training, energy and hard-driving, precise way of moving.
“Their sleek lines and high, silent jumps had the feel of a well-oiled 1958 Chevrolet Impala, a pure expression of another era and something we remember as historically sexy," Erika Kinetz wrote in 2005 in The New York Times, reviewing “Giordano Moves," a tribute presented at the 14th annual Jazz Dance World Congress in Chicago.
The cause was pneumonia, according to his daughters, Nan and Amy Giordano.
Mr. Giordano was best known through the performing of his company, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, founded in 1962 and based in Evanston, and through his teaching at dance conventions throughout the United States. The company, now directed by Nan Giordano, his daughter, is said to have been the first dance troupe to dedicate itself solely to jazz dance.
The company's programs featured pieces by Mr. Giordano and later, as he grew older, included dances by guest choreographers including Mia Michaels and Davis Robertson. The performers became known for their strong training, energy and hard-driving, precise way of moving.
“Their sleek lines and high, silent jumps had the feel of a well-oiled 1958 Chevrolet Impala, a pure expression of another era and something we remember as historically sexy," Erika Kinetz wrote in 2005 in The New York Times, reviewing “Giordano Moves," a tribute presented at the 14th annual Jazz Dance World Congress in Chicago.
