Rosario Fernández Guerrero (born about 1880 – died 1960s) was a Spanish dancer and

pantomimist Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

with an international career. Although she was not a singer, she is most often associated with the role of

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

Early life

Guerrero was born in Spain; some sources give Madrid as the city, while she recalled a childhood in Seville.

Career

Guerrero danced in Paris and London as a young woman. She danced a ballet version of ''Carmen'' in 1903 in London at the

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

. "I reveled in it," she told an interviewer, "I felt that I ''was'' Carmen, and do you know, I verily believe that my Don José was now and again really afraid of me." She danced in New York in 1903 and 1904, appearing in ''The Rose and the Dagger'' and ''The Red Feather''. In 1905, she was in London again, in a pantomime called ''The Nightmare'' with music by A. Porinelly, at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

. In 1906 there were reports that she was hospitalized in Vienna in 1906, found "violently insane" from "excessive dancing". She performed pantomime shows in London in 1908, in New York and Chicago in 1909, and in other American cities including San Francisco and Indianapolis in 1910. She owned a "small estate" in France. Guerrero was described as a "famous beauty" in 1908. She posed for a series of portraits by German artist

Friedrich August von Kaulbach Friedrich August von Kaulbach (2 June 1850 in Munich – 26 July 1920 in Ohlstadt, Germany) was a German portraitist and historical painter. Biography He was born to a family that included several well known artists and began his studies with ...

, who considered them among his best work.

Arthur Kampf Arthur Kampf (28 September 1864 in Aachen – 8 February 1950 in Castrop-Rauxel) was a German painter. He was associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Life Kampf studied under Peter Janssen, among others, at the Kunstakademie D ...

's celebrated 1906 canvas, ''Spanische Tänzerin'' is similarly believed to be a portrait of Guerrero. RosarioGuerrero1905

Her sister Enriqueta, billed as "the Little Guerrero" and "Guerrerrito", also worked as a dancer in London in the 1900s.

References

External links

*
Another portrait of Rosario Guerrero by Kaulbach
at the

Frye Art Museum The Frye Art Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1952 to house the collection of Charles and Emma Frye and has since grown to include rotating temporary ex ...

.
Rosario Guerrero, Spanish Dancer
a website of clippings, images, and a timeline, maintained by Sarah Stovin. Spanish female dancers Spanish vaudeville performers Music hall performers 1880s births 1960s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain {{Spain-bio-stub