# Lennie Dale

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American-Brazilian actor (1937–1994)

Lennie Dale Lennie Dale in 1972 Born Leonardo La Ponzina (1937-07-21)July 21, 1937 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Died August 9, 1994(1994-08-09) (aged 57) Manhattan, New York, U.S. Occupations Actor, choreographer, dancer

**Leonardo La Ponzina**, better known as **Lennie Dale** (July 21, 1937 – August 9, 1994) was an American-Brazilian choreographer, dancer, actor, and singer of Italian background.

## Biography

Dale was born on July 21, 1937 in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), [New York](/source/New_York_City). He began his professional career as an actor on the children's' program *Star Lime Kids* alongside [Connie Francis](/source/Connie_Francis).

He gave dances classes from 14 to 21 years old, including while in grade school. He became a part of the cast of *[West Side Story](/source/West_Side_Story)* on [Broadway](/source/Broadway_(Manhattan)). Afterwards, he moved to [London](/source/London), where he was hired by a business partner of [Shirley Bassey](/source/Shirley_Bassey), giving performances in Europe and participating, alongside [Gene Kelly](/source/Gene_Kelly), on Italian television programs. He was responsible for the choreography of more than 500 dancers on [*Cleopatra*](/source/Cleopatra_(1963_film)), starring [Elizabeth Taylor](/source/Elizabeth_Taylor), who later became his friend.

Dale first went to Brazil in 1960, invited by revue theater director Carlos Machado to create the choreography for a musical. Afterwards, he went on to emigrate and stay in the country for long periods of time.

He became a well-known figure in the 1960s and 1970s for his performances together with the founding artists of the [bossa nova](/source/Bossa_nova) movement. He directed various specials shown on *Beco das Garrafas*, a hotspot for Bohemians and bossa nova music.

In 1973, during the height of the [military dictatorship in Brazil](/source/Military_dictatorship_in_Brazil), Dale founded the androgynous group Dzi Croquettes, which mixed dance with theater. Due to its irreverent sense of humor, the group became a symbol of the counterculture during that period.[1] The history of the group was made into a [documentary of the same name](/source/Dzi_Croquettes) in 2009.

Dale travelled constantly back to the United States, where he directed specials with artists such as [Liza Minelli](/source/Liza_Minnelli).

Dale had suffered from [AIDS](/source/HIV%2FAIDS) and travelled to the United States in 1988 after he discovered he had the disease to receive free medical assistance, counseled by his own doctor. He died on August 9, 1994 from the disease at [Coler Specialty Hospital](/source/Coler_Specialty_Hospital) in New York at 57 years old.[2][3][4]

## Discography

- *Um show de bossa… Lennie Dale com os Bossa Três* (1964) Elenco LP

- *Lennie Dale e o Sambalanço Trio-Gravado no Zum Zum* (1965) Elenco LP

- *Berimbau/O pato Lennie Dale e o Sambalanço Trio* (1965) Elenco Compacto simples

- *Lennie Dale* (1965) Elenco LP

- *A 3ª Dimensão de Lennie Dale Lennie Dale e Trio 3D* (1967) Elenco LP

- *O máximo da Bossa Vários artistas* (1967) Rare Elenco LP

## Filmography

- *[Dzi Croquettes](/source/Dzi_Croquettes)*, by [Tatiana Issa](/source/Tatiana_Issa) and Raphael Alvarez

## Portrayal in media

[Júlio Andrade](/source/J%C3%BAlio_Andrade) portrayed Dale in the 2016 film *Elis*, which was based on the life of [Elis Regina](/source/Elis_Regina).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Documentário mostra trajetória do grupo Dzi Croquettes - cultura - geral - Estadão"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110827012547/http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer,documentario-mostra-trajetoria-do-grupo-dzi-croquettes,581989,0.htm). *Estadão*. 2010-07-16. Archived from [the original](http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer,documentario-mostra-trajetoria-do-grupo-dzi-croquettes,581989,0.htm) on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2025-01-18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Folha de S.Paulo - O bailarino e coreógrafo Lennie Dale morre em Nova York aos 57"](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1994/8/09/ilustrada/8.html). *www1.folha.uol.com.br*. 1994-08-09. Retrieved 2025-01-18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["A Tribuna (SP) - 1990 a 1999 - DocReader Web"](https://memoria.bn.gov.br/DocReader/DocReader.aspx?bib=153931_07&pesq=%22Lennie%20Dale%22&hf=memoria.bn.gov.br&pagfis=103748). *memoria.bn.gov.br*. 1994-08-09. Retrieved 2025-01-18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Jornal do Brasil (RJ) - 1990 a 1999 - DocReader Web"](https://memoria.bn.gov.br/DocReader/DocReader.aspx?bib=030015_11&Pesq=%22Lennie%20Dale%22&pagfis=151120). *memoria.bn.gov.br*. 1994-08-09. Retrieved 2025-01-18.

Authority control databases: Artists MusicBrainz

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lennie Dale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennie_Dale) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennie_Dale?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.