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Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del
Rivero on January 23, 1933 in Washington, D.C.) is
a Puerto Rican-American Broadway actress and the
first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center
Honors award.

Both her parents were from Puerto Rico.  Her
father played clarinet and saxophone for the
United States Navy|Navy band.  Chita's mother went
to work for the Pentagon when Chita was seven
years old and her father passed away (Chita's
mother passed away in 1983).

In 1944, when Chita was 11 years old, her mother
enrolled her in the Jones-Hayward School of
Ballet.  When Chita was 15, a teacher from George
Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited
their studio and Chita was one of two students
picked to audition in New York City.

Chita was acompanied to the audition by Doris
Jones, one of the people who ran the Jones-Hayward
School.  Jones told Chita to be herself and to not
worry about the other girls who were auditioning.

Chita was accepted and given a scholarship by
George Balanchine to attend The American School of
Ballet.  Among her teachers were Edward Villella,
Allegra Kent and Maria Tallchief.

In 1952, when Chita was 17 years old, she
accompanied a friend to the audition for a
Broadway production of Call Me Madam and ended up
with the role.  She followed this by landing roles
in other Broadway productions, such as Guys and
Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven (Broadway)|Seventh
Heaven and Mr. Wonderful (play)|Mr. Wonderful with
Sammy Davis Jr..  Besides her ballet instructors,
Chita considers that she learned a lot from
Leonard Bernstein and especially from Gwen Verdon,
with whom she participated in the Broadway
production of Chicago (musical)|Chicago.

In 1957, Chita was cast in the role which was
destined to make her a Broadway star.  She was
cast as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West
Side Story.  Years later the role of Anita was to
bring fame and an Academy Award|Oscar to another
Puerto Rican, Rita Moreno in the West Side
Story|film version.  On December 1, 1957, Rivera
married dancer Tony Mordente.  Her performance was
so important for the success of the show that the
London production was posponed until after Chita
gave birth to the couple's daughter, Lisa. 

Chita also starred in the Broadway productions of
Bye Bye Birdie, Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo,
Call Me Madam, The Rink, Threepenny Opera, Sweet
Charity, Kiss Me, Kate, Kiss of the Spider Woman
and Zorba.  She went on a national tour with
Can-Can.  She played the role of Nicky in the
movie version of Sweet Charity with Shirley
MacLaine.

Rivera is planning on appearing in three plays in
2004: Nine with Antonio Banderas, The Visit and
Ballroom (musical)|Ballroom.

Rivera is widely regarded by theatre aficiandos as
a "living legend". Indeed "In Theatre" magazine
has suggested in an interview by Goerge Horsfall:
" You must be tired of the term "legend", but
let's get it out of the way. You have long been
considered a Broadway legend."" Rivera replied
"Oh, God!" and laughed (See reference below "Chita
a Go-Go" for quote).  

Rivera received two Tony Awards and six additional
nominations.  She received her first Tony in 1984
for her role in The Rink and her second for Tony
Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical|Best
Leading Actress in a Musical in 1993 for her role
in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

In 2002 Chita Rivera became the first female
Hispanic to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center
Honors award presented by President of the United
States|President George W. Bush, recognizing her
contributions to American (U.S.) American
culture|culture. 
==See also==
*List of famous Puerto Ricans