Rafael Aguilar

Rafael Aguilar (born Rafael Franco; (In its obituary, The Independent erroneously states he was born Rafael Ricaurte.) Ricaurte was the surname of his paternal grandmother; his grandfather, Federico Franco Izquierdo, was a Colombian diplomat who was sent to Quito, where he met and married Rosa Maria Ricaurte y Aspiazu from Guano. Per Spanish naming customs, Rafael was born Rafael Eduardo Franco Sotomayor. was an Ecuadorian ballet dancer and choreographer.

He was born Rafael Franco Sotomayor in Guayaquil in the house of his great-aunt and uncle. His father, Alfredo Franco Ricaurte, was born in Bogotá, who immigrated to Guayaquil to work at the Commercial and Agricultural Bank. In 1935 his father moved back to Colombia. His mother, Esther Sotomayor y Sotomayor, was from Vinces. He was the youngest of five siblings.

In 1939, his sister Leonor developed a limp that doctors diagnosed as rheumatism. They tried living for a year to Salinas for the better climate, but in 1941 their mother decided to take Leonor to Baltimore for treatment and sent the other four children to live to Bogotá to live with their father. In 1942, Leonor successfully underwent surgery in New York City, and their mother decided to stay in the United States.

For many years he created many outstanding productions, mainly flamenco themed. His wife devoted herself to studying gypsy culture and integrated many gypsy dances into their choreography as well. The highlight of his career was in 1992, when he was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for the West End musical Matador.

Illness and death

In July 1994, Aguilar began suffering severe headaches while touring Germany, and he was subsequently diagnosed with brain cancer. He underwent six weeks of radiation treatment at the Hospital of Madrid, where defective equipment burned the skin on his skull. He then went to the hospital of the Red Cross, where he improved after a course of chemotherapy. He was still weak but returned to work in time for the opening night of his production of Boléro in Madrid on 3 March 1995, when he suffered a heart attack and died. Manuela died in 1998.