Alex Romero

Alex Romero, born Alexander Bernard Quiroga in San Antonio, Texas, was the son of a Mexican general and politician. His family fled to the United States during the Mexican Revolution after his father and many brothers were killed. Raised in a family of performers, Alex initially had no formal dance training but learned tap by observing Black dancers in vaudeville acts. At fifteen, he joined his brothers’ Spanish dance troupe, adopting the stage name Romero, and toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe.

In 1936, while on tour in Norway, he married Faun, and the couple returned to the U.S. in 1939 as World War II began. Romero soon joined Jack Cole’s dance team at Columbia Pictures and transitioned into film choreography. He worked with legendary figures like Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Busby Berkeley, and Michael Kidd, contributing to iconic films such as An American in Paris, On the Town, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. His solo choreography debut came in Words and Music (1948), where he created standout numbers like “Thou Swell” and “Lady is a Tramp.”