Antonio Ruiz Soler Antonio El Bailarin

Antonio Ruiz Soler was born in Seville on 4 November 1921 and entered professional dance as a child, appearing at the Teatro Duque de Sevilla at about seven years old. In 1928 he formed a partnership with Florencia Pérez Padilla, known as Rosario, that would define the first half of his career. As Rosario y Antonio, the pair developed a concert act spanning flamenco, escuela bolera, and stylized Spanish dance, achieving international prominence through stage touring and film. During their years in the United States, Antonio appeared in Hollywood productions including *Ziegfeld Girl* (1941) and *Hollywood Canteen* (1944), bringing Spanish dance to cinema audiences far beyond the theatre.

Anton's engagement with film extended across three decades. Between 1941 and 1974 he appeared in 24 films, including Edgar Neville's *Duende y misterio del flamenco* (1952), a significant document of the period, and Michael Powell's *Honeymoon* (1959). These appearances disseminated his stage vocabulary and charisma widely. The partnership with Rosario lasted until 1952, after which Antonio founded his own company, Antonio y los Ballets de Madrid, in 1953. The company gave him a larger choreographic frame in which to combine flamenco, regional material, escuela bolera, classical technique, music, and theatrical design, establishing his model of ballet español as a major international touring form.

Anton retired from his performing career in 1978. In 1980 the Spanish Ministry of Culture appointed him director of the Ballet Nacional de España, succeeding Antonio Gades. He directed the national company from 1980 to 1983, bringing his repertory and performance values into Spain's foremost public dance institution. Recognition of his contributions included Spain's Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts in 1991. Antonio died in Madrid on 5 February 1996. The Ballet Nacional de España marked his 2021 centenary by reviving central choreographies, confirming that his legacy persists not only in biography and film but in repertory still taught and performed.