Felipe Rose (born January 12, 1954 in New York City) was a founding member of the disco group the Village People. His mother is Puerto Rican and his father a Native American (Lakota Sioux).
Felipe was raised in Brooklyn where he displayed an interest in the arts during his childhood. His mother was his main inspiration as she herself had been a dancer for the Copacabana during the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1970, when Felipe was 16 years old, he won a scholarship to study dance with the Ballet de Puerto Rico under the guidance of Pasqual Guzman. He participated in a dance-drama recital of Julia de Burgos at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with the Ballet Company. The New York Post called his performance "Poignant and Compelling".
Soon, Felipe started to venture into the nightclub scene and at the same time his aunt introduced him to other influences in dance and recommended that he honor his father's heritage by dressing in his tribal regalia - this led to the "Indian" attire. ...
Created by dipity
on Jan 24, 2008
Last updated: 03/10/10 at 02:48 PM
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