Felisa Vanoff
| Felisa Vanoff | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Phyllis Elizabeth Caputo June 11, 1925 Ambridge, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 29, 2014 (aged 88) Beverly Hills, California |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Sun Valley, Idaho |
| Residence | Beverly Hills, California |
| Occupation | Dancer, choreographer, producer, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Nick Vanoff |
| Children | Nicholas Jr. Flavio |
| Parent(s) |
Eugene Caputo Velma Lindway |
Phyllis Elizabeth (Felisa) Vanoff (June 11, 1925 – May 29, 2014) was an American dancer, choreographer, producer, and philanthropist.
Phyllis Elizabeth Caputo was born on June 11, 1925, in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Her father, Eugene Caputo, was a Pennsylvania State Representative, and her mother, Velma Lindway, was an artist.
Shortly after she graduated from high school, she moved from Pennsylvania to Manhattan. There she lived at a boarding house and studied with Vincenzo Celli of the Ballet Russe. She then traveled to Mexico City for eighteen months of training with Jose Fernandez, learning flamenco and other Spanish dances.
During World War II, Vanoff performed in United Service Organizations Camp Shows in the Pacific, touring the Philippines, Korea, and Japan. By the end of the war she had earned a captaincy in the United States Army. Returning to New York City, she became the lead dancer in Charles Weidman's Dance Theatre. She went on to take part in musical performances with Peter Hamilton. Later, she was featured on the Fred Waring and Billy Rose television programs.
In 1948, she became the first woman choreographer for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, a dramatic student society at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The following year, she joined the New York City Opera as a lead dancer, appearing in productions like Carmen and Don Giovanni; she was also the company's assistant choreographer. In 1953, she joined the John Butler Dance Theatre where she spent two years as lead dancer, often performing alongside Glen Tetley. In 1987, she oversaw the Joffrey Ballet's recreation of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1994 for her co-produced musical City of Angels.
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