DANCER

    Pilar López was a nationally known Spanish Exhibition dancer. She studied dance with Julia Castelão in Madrid as a young girl. She was the younger sister to the legendary Encarnación López Júlvez aka La Argentinita. Pilar debuted in cafes at the early age of 15 sharing the stage with such notables as Pastora Imperio, La Malena and Macarrona and later in the early 1930s joined her sister's dance company.

    When Encarnación died suddenly in 1945, José Greco and Pilar López, escorted her body back to Madrid, Spain and in mourning, Pilar announced her retirement from the stage. However, she was persuaded to start performing again to keep her sister's spirit alive. While in Madrid, on June 10, 1946 Greco and Pilar López formed a new company Ballet Espagnol to carry on the works of Argentinita, they would tour all over Europe and remained partners for three years. Pilar López Spanish Ballet emphasized on group work and ran until her official stage retirement in 1973.

    She was to be the last female representative of the golden age of flamenco ballet in the 1930s and 1940s. Critics always praised the virtuosity and authenticity of her pure and unmistakable style. She was a excellent and serious classical Spanish dancer, but it was as a choreographer and teacher of young dancers that she excelled. She was known to create many young and fine dancers, that she would use in her productions.

such as Rafael Ortega, Mario Maya (age 14), Farruco and The Güito (age 13) and namely, a 16 year old by the name of Antonio Gades (who later became head of the Spanish National Ballet in 1978) and before his death said he owed everything to Pilar.

    Pilar based herself in Madrid. She wanted to create a theatre tradition for the

    She married and later separated from her husband Thomas Rivers, an orchestral conductor and director in 1973. She lived in the flat Encarnación had bought in the 1930s and left to her upon her death. Physically and mentally fit all her life, she could be seen in wings of any Spanish dance event to the very end of her 95 years of life.