Doraldina (c. 1893–c. 1925)

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Doraldina (c. 1893–c. 1925)

American dancer. Born c. 1893 probably in Chicago, Illinois; died c. 1925.

Studied classical and folk dance with Raphael Vega in Barcelona, where she later performed at Teatro Principal; appeared at Ned Wayburn's Reisenweber's Café in New York City (1916), where she performed specialty dances, including hula, larombe shiver, and harem dance; performed same dances on Keith Circuit, in vaudeville, and on Broadway in such shows as Step This Way (1916), The Red Dawn (1919) and Frivolities of 1920; appeared in early silent films, usually as South Sea islander, including in The Naulahka (1918) and The Passion Fruit (1921); was one of the 1st female performers to purchase the club in which she appeared, The Montmartre in New York City; helped introduce the hula dance into ethnic dance repertory.