Richard Cragun receives a final “Bravo!” as he’s laid to rest in Rio

Richard Cragun's funeral was held yesterday in Rio De Janeiro, two days after the dancer's death on Monday. His friend Peter Rosenwald was there:

Richard was a close and exceptional friend of mine and of so many others. That he was one of the great dancers of our time needs no comment. But his humanity, his endless kindness, his unwillingness to adopt the vanities of ‘stardom' when he was very much a star, make him exceptional.

The most moving moment at yesterday's cremation ceremony in Rio came when the flower covered coffin began to move away and Richards friends and admirers, led by Marcia Haydee, stood, applauded and cried out “Bravo” as they had so many times at the end of his magnificent performances. It was a spontaneous and appropriate ovation and send-off. Richard deserved no less.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.