STAGE TUBE: Flashback - Valerie Harper and Rick McKay Wish Luigi a Happy 85th Birthday at LOOPED

Wishing LUIGI (1925-2015) a Happy 85th with VALERIE HARPER at "LOOPED"

LUIGI, the great dance pioneer, celebrated his 85th birthday this weekend. I had a scholarship in Luigi Technique back in Indiana decades ago and came to NYC to study with him. This footage is of VALERIE HARPER and I and current Luigi students leading HB to him last night - backstage where she is blowing them away 8x a week in LOOPED. Luigi is still teaching 2 classes a day here in NYC, six days a week! And I'm editing BROADWAY: BEYOND THE GOLDEN AGE, which Valerie and Luigi are both in. Luigi is incredibly inspiring. Get to a class. Liza was there last week. Ben Vereen the week before. Luigi's timeless . . .

Posted by Rick McKay on Sunday, March 21, 2010

Rick McKay, the producer/director of Rick McKay's Broadway: The Golden Age Film Trilogy, just unveiled a backstage video of Valerie Harper and himself wishing legendary dance pioneer and teacher Eugene 'Luigi' Louis Facciuto a happy 85th birthday after a performance of LOOPED. Watch the footage below!

Luigi passed away this week at the age of 90. McKay will honor Luigi in his upcoming film, Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age, set for release sometime in 2016.

Luigi's students have included Liza Minnelli, Kelly Bishop, Ben Vereen, Tony Roberts, Susan Stroman, and most of Broadway brightest luminaries in recent decades.

He was born Eugene Louis Faccuito in Steubenville, Ohio and nicknamed Luigi from Gene Kelly. As a dancer he appeared in over 40 films including An American in Paris, Annie Get Your Gun, On the Town, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon and White Christmas. The exercise routine he created for his own rehabilitation after a devastating accident became the world's first complete technique for learning jazz dance.

Rick McKay's new film Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age will be out next year -- support his Broadway Trilogy by making a tax-deductible donation here, and be sure to watch the trailer for the upcoming installment!