Aguilar (Lilly) dance photographs, 2013, bulk 1930-1980

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Title:
Lilly Aguilar dance photographs
Dates:
2013, bulk 1930-1980
Creators:
Aguilar, Lilly (1915-1986)
Containers:
Box: 1
Box: 2
Extent:
1.71 Linear Feet 2 boxes
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Lilly Aguilar dance photographs, Collection no. 1023, Music Library, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Background

Scope and content:

The Lilly Aguilar dance photographs consist of photographic prints of Lilly Aguilar (1915-1986), pioneering folklórico dance teacher, along with many of Aguilar's students. The majority of the photographs show Aguilar's students either posed in studios or performing at a number of different venues. Some of the photographs also show Lilly Aguilar posed in dance attire or attending dance-related social gatherings. Aside from the photographs, the collection holds a 1936 employment contract signed by Aguilar--as "Lilia Marquis"--with the Padua Hills Theatre in Claremont, California. A 1937 contract between Padua Hills and Manuel Aguilar, Lilly's husband, is also included. Lastly, the collection includes event programs, fliers, newspaper clippings, and ephemera relating to performances and other dance events involving Aguilar and her students.

Biographical / historical:

The following biographical note was copied from a 2013 event program held in the collection titled "Folklorista Awards 2013 / Plaza de la Raza." The awards ceremony honored Aguilar with a Pioneros del Folklor award.

Lilia Marquez was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. On her daily walk to and from school she was required to pass a dance studio and since she always had a passion for dance she would stop and watch the classes through a window. The teacher, noticing her daily ritual and apparent fascination finally asked her if she was interested in taking classes. Young Lilia responded that she could not afford to pay for the classes whereby the teacher advised her that she would not have to pay. This started her trek on a lifetime career in the world of dance, first as a professional performer and later passing her gift to a multitude of children in the greater Los Angeles and surrounding areas. She perfected her skiffs at the Fanchon and Marco Studio in Hollywood where she was inspired by Maria Isabel Gleason, one of their star dancers. She also studied with Jose Fernandez, Eduardo Cansino, Trini Goni, Pedro Lorca and Paco Lucerna. She ultimately toured the United States and Mexico for four years with the Fanchon and Marco Dance Company, Fiesta, appeared in several motion pictures demonstrating her talent as a Spanish and Mexican dancer, and performed in night clubs, theaters, and fairs, including the World's Fair in Chicago. She then joined the Mexican Players at Padua Hills where her knowledge and interest in Mexican Folk was heightened.

Lilia married fellow performer Manuel Aguilar, a talented musician, actor, dancer, and singer. They continued their professional career providing entertainment and establishing friendships with Hollywood personalities of the era, and continued to accept jobs in the Southern California region. He and his fellow musicians provided the musical entertainment and she performed Spanish and Mexican dances. In 1940 Mrs. Aguilar began her teaching career. She first started in private studios and then expanded her reach by offering her services to neighborhood community centers in order to reach more children. Those included locations such as Cleland House, Our Lady of Soledad Church, La Casa del Mexicano, and others. She began developing her own group providing classes at the recreation center of the Maravilla Housing Project. She never forgot her own background and never turned her back on any children in the community by offering scholarships to those who could not afford to pay for the classes if fees were involved. She also made sure that the children had proper dance shoes by recycling those of the older dancers. She personally would clean them up, shine them and have them repaired if required. She never gave a youngster something shabby looking. She did the same with costumes. She always saw to it that a child would at least one costume with which to perform.

In 1950 she joined the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation staff as a Dance Specialist. She traveled throughout the county establishing programs, providing dance classes, training prospective teachers, and providing in service to county employees such as Recreation leaders and Directors of the numerous county parks and facilities, such as Belvedere Park, Laguna Park, City Terrace Park, and Bell Gardens. The parks' gyms were usually filled to capacity with row after row of students. Ultimately, the Los Angeles County Ballet Folklorico was established under her guidance. She also collaborated on major productions sponsored by the county which were held at the Hollywood Bowl, The John Anson Ford Theatre, The Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to name a few. She retired from the county in 1975.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Denise Delgado-Torres, June 28, 2024.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Bo Doub
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-02 15:05:49 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Music Library at music@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Music Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Lilly Aguilar dance photographs, Collection no. 1023, Music Library, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Location of this collection:
Doheny Memorial Library, Room G-24
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1822, US
Contact:
(213) 740-0183
ajustice@usc.edu
Website