Rosalia Merino Santos

Rosalia Merino Santos (November 7, 1923 – April 24, 2021) was a Filipino dancer, choreographer and educator. She has been called one of the pioneers in the development of modern dance in the Philippines.

The daughter of Gonzalo Merino and Enriqueta Ramos, she lived in California with her parents until she was seven. She studied ballet at the Cosmopolitan Ballet and Dancing School with Luva Adameit. When she was thirteen, she received her diploma for dance technique and became Adameit's assistant, teaching at the school. She also began training in Filipino folk dancing with Francisca Reyes-Aquino. She attended high school at the Philippine Women's University (PWU). Helena Benitez, who was the head of the physical education department at PWU, asked Santos to teach folk dance there. In 1950, she completed a BSc in physical education at PWU and continued to teach folk dance there. She also taught ballet at St. Paul College in Manila and creative dance at the Centro Escolar University.

Santos died on April 24, 2021, at the age of 97.