Chita Rivera Quotes & Sayings

A lot of Americans like happy endings, but life does not necessarily have a happy ending. — Chita Rivera

Mother loved dance so much that she thought (ballerina) Margot Fonteyn should be the president. — Chita Rivera

We're going to Puerto Rico, where we're gonna close. And we're so excited, we can't see straight. — Chita Rivera

I'm bugged because I can't believe I can't speak every language there is. But I feel I can when I sit and am with somebody, and I can dance for them. Because dance is dialogue without language. — Chita Rivera

Somebody told me once I wasn't Latin enough, and that made me laugh. — Chita Rivera

It's important that the kids stay busy. It's important that they have something to focus on, and something that they feel good about. — Chita Rivera

I have to make this love affair believable enough. It's very European. — Chita Rivera

Southern California, they have been amazing. They're totally with us. — Chita Rivera

I have always loved a challenge. — Chita Rivera

Beauty is not everything! — Chita Rivera

Looking back doesn't have to be painful. — Chita Rivera

I can tell you where my Tonys are. They're in a beautiful place in my living room, in a glass cabinet. — Chita Rivera

I really never felt any tremendous aggravation or separation. — Chita Rivera

The spirit of dance is an amazing thing. When the body and the spirit meet, it's a good thing. — Chita Rivera

It's communication - that's what theatre is all about. — Chita Rivera

I've played American, Italian, Greek, French. I've been really lucky that way. — Chita Rivera

Theatre is immediate gratification. — Chita Rivera

I never like the way I look. I don't. I never look at myself. — Chita Rivera

American audiences are affected by what the English people think. — Chita Rivera

I have a blessed life. I really do. I have a great family, a great daughter, I love life, I love living, I love people. I love all the blessings that God's given me. — Chita Rivera

I love to laugh, I love the joy of life, and I love sharing it. — Chita Rivera

Many of the shows I danced in don't exist on film, but they do exist in the memories of those who were in the theater for that single moment in time. And nothing can replace that. — Chita Rivera

You know I've got a generator that's still popping. — Chita Rivera

After about 15 minutes, you feel that you're winning them over. — Chita Rivera

My neighborhood was a great neighborhood; it was filled with all sorts of ethnic groups and things. So I grew up thinking I was a human being. — Chita Rivera

I love the theater because the theater is alive. The audience is right there. — Chita Rivera

You take a plug and put it in a socket, and that's what the theatre is-it lights up right away. You speak, and they respond immediately. — Chita Rivera

I'm an old-fashioned girl. — Chita Rivera

I am young in my energy because I really still believe that we can share who we are, and we can wipe off on each other. I see this huge tapestry when we're born, and this red blob that's your soul or your heart. — Chita Rivera

I love life. I love the live theater. — Chita Rivera

For some of us, the Gypsy years can go on forever ... That isn't such a bad thing. When all is said and done, they're a lot of fun. The truth is, I liked being a Gypsy. It's who I was. And it's still a lot of who I am. Gypsy, it's a good word. — Chita Rivera

I was busy welcoming a new experience. I had never done a movie before. — Chita Rivera

We were taking collections for people with AIDS in New York around Easter. — Chita Rivera

I have been very lucky, I have only had one bad experience. — Chita Rivera

My hairdresser and I found ourselves shopping at Bloomingdale's with nothing to do for days. — Chita Rivera

I'd like to get the word out there, the word has to be spread. — Chita Rivera

San Francisco has just blown us all away. I also understand Angels in America didn't do well there. — Chita Rivera

I do believe that separation can be a bit damaging at times. To be happy about yourself and your culture and all of that is necessary and fulfilling, but the whole tapestry is what's important. — Chita Rivera

The show did go on, but came very close to not going on at all. — Chita Rivera

You can feel whether an audience is tightened up and pulled back. Of course the opposite is an audience like we've been having in LA, which is fabulous. — Chita Rivera

I'm not comfortable with just me, me, me. That's boring. — Chita Rivera

I never feel as though I'm ever, ever alone. — Chita Rivera