for the Holiday staple “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”, revived that fictional character for “I Saw Mommy Do The Mambo (With You Know Who”).
W.C. Hendy’s perennial “St. Louis Blues” was inevitably rendered in the mambo Mode by bandleader Richard Malt by Sr., resulting in his first pop success.

Favor for the dance was characterized by infatuation (“Papa Loves Mambo” by Perry Como) or obsession (Ruth Brown’s R&B chart-topper “Mambo Baby”) as well as implicit parody (Rosemary Clooney’s “Mambo Italiano”.)
Conversely, Mama too loved the mambo, according to the title of a second-season episode of “The Honeymooners” that featured “Claves For Mambo” by Tito Rodriguez. In full swing, “mambo mania” appeared likely to imbue most entertainment media, except for its antithesis: the classical art form.

Please read on as Michael Terrace illustrates how the unlikely indeed happened,at the Palladium. Thank You – PETER SETTIMELLI


Born in 1920 in Hungary, Francois Sony began studying ballet at the age of seven along with his younger sister Giselle at the Budapest Academy of Arts. Their first important break arrived in 1948 when they were presented with a sponsorship to perform at the world-renowned Bell Tavern in Paris. The act was spotted by Music Corporation of America that brought them to the United States to share the stage with Liberace at the Palmer House in Chicago. In attendance was Judy Garland, who later chose them to open her historic engagement at the Palace Theatre in 1951.

Their huge success as an opening act opened doors to many opportunities; one was a three-minute sequence dancing atop a cake in the 1953 movie biography “So This Is Love”, starring Kathryn Grayson as soprano Grace Moore. The same year, the Szonys performed at the London Palladium in a Royal Command performance before Queen Elizabeth II.

Guest spots on American television followed with special appearances on“Your Show of Shows”,“The Hollywood Palace”and Ed Sullivan’s Sunday night variety program. The Szonys also headlined with Frank Sinatra, Noel Coward, Edith Pilaf and Lisa Minnelli and others. They also performed in the stage show at Radio City Music Hall. Apart from Giselle, Francois had many additional partners throughout his career among whom was Toni Ann Gardella,who personified a grace and perfection reminiscent of Anna Pavlova. Francois’ discerning taste and ability for choosing and adapting a dancer to his choreography was an art in itself. Located at 53rd Street and Broadway in New York one block from the Roseland Ballroom, the Palladium was already prospering when Francois heard about it and decided to pay a visit.

Entering the Palladium to the blare of conga drums and amongst a crowd of people that appeared to dance rather than walk up the marble staircase, likely seemed like a new world to Francois. Then there was the mambo itself: earthy in expression, spontaneous and danced with abandon, much different from his own classical style and European dance in general.

Seeing that the contest was about to start, Francois joined the young people, sitting in the middle of the floor, who lauded team after team with screams of excitement.
Killer Joe Piro, the emcee of the Wednesday night dance contest at the Palladium often went to the Latin Quarter where Francois performed and, obviously blown away by his great talent, became an ardent fan also. Backstage, Killer Joe, who promptly spotted Francois among the spectators, excitedly ran around whispering, “Francois Szony is here, Francois Szony is here”.


It is fair to say that we were nervous knowing that this masterly figure would be watching and wondered if our performances would meet his expectations. At that point we eyed each other and took on a modified tone, realizing that Francois would be viewing us from ten feet away. At such close range, the slightest mistake or imperfection could be easily detected in our routines.

When the show was over, Francois made his way to us with congratulations for what he believed to be a job well done. Followed with what proved to be kindly advice from François, I think we were less anxious with the realization that the critique came from one who was at once a coach and eventually, a mentor. For us, his style honed to perfection and we wanted to become the technical dancers he was.
While every dance team at the Palladium respected Francois for his accomplishments and the man himself, those most greatly enamored to his craft
were Augie and Margo, Tybee and Brascia and my beautiful wife Elita and I, who Francois recognized from the ballet school where we were recently enrolled.
Francois became a repeat client of the Palladium and during one of his visits, Killer Joe approached him with an invitation to serve on the judges’ panel for the dance contest.

As we became more friendly, Francois invited Augie and me to watch one of his performances at Lou Walters’ Latin Quarter.When we arrived, Giselle Szony was walking out of the main entrance and started warming up, using an iron railing as a ballet bar. Each movement was typical of a ballet exercise trained dancers use to improve their technique and strengthen their bodies. Giselle’s bar work was flawless and carried out with expert precision. We had never seen a dance warm-up like this and were entranced, like two kids watching a fairy-tale princess.

masculinity and the stance of a bullfighter. Giselle used her costume like a flare to enhance her moves in each lift as she stepped and glided around a set that looked like a cascade of rainbows. The experience still remains a topic of conversation that we recall as if it were a sequence in a mutual dream we once had. Augie and I instantly saw potential in blending the mambo and classical dance and sensing a new phase dawning, began rehearsing feverishly day and night. Few at the Palladium were convinced that the mambo and ballet could be successfully fused and even if it was, there was a risk at hand: the notion of women in ballet was naturally accepted, but guys in our circles performing it would be sure to raise eyebrows or invite an unwelcome snicker or two. Undaunted, we added pirouettes and double-turns in the air and before we knew it, we had choreographed a “ballet/jazz mambo” number that was regularly met with healthy approval from our audiences.

With our showmanship raised to a whole new plane, Augie and I felt like we became stars overnight. Francois was most gracious toward the Palladium dancers, encouraging them to study ballet and adagio to improve our technique and staging.He suggested new ideas for choreographic designs to fit the music and even changed our way of dressing on stage. Before Francois, we wore suits to perform that we traded for form-fitting Spanish costumes.I remember Francois telling me at the time,

“The Palladium has all the makings for a spectacular Broadway musical or a Hollywood movie. It’s the stuff a choreographer dreams about.”

Many dancers with no interest in ballet nonetheless copied Francois’ finger turns since that particular step required no dance training, just constant rehearsal. Even today, countless mambo dance teams can be seen using finger turns in their acts.

The Salsa Dance Congress, the most attended Mambo event in the world, features hundreds of mambo teams all using the finger turn, having no idea that it came from Francois.

Francois Szony and Toni Ann Gardella live in Fort Lauderdale and, having enjoyed a lovely 30 years as husband and wife and trained many dance teams at the Gold Coast Ballroom owned by Jeff Sander and Vinny Munno in Coconut Creek,Fl

In my lifetime of dance, I have found that some dancers are made through very hard work and some are born to dance. In my opinion, Francois Szony like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, was born to dance.

End part 7

I lecture about the Palladium era and teach on the method of dancing with-in the claves. mterrace@nj.rr.com

See you on the dance floor.

© Michael Terrace
Thursday, 30-Sep-2010