Angelica Manguele (credited as Manguele), known to most people as Angelica and having a French name, is a Peruvian dancer and ballerina. At the age of twenty-one, she was contracted by Degas to create a series of works in the dance sphere, most notably “Dancer” and “Concerto de Aranjuez”. Manguele then went on to choreograph the salsa and cha-cha for many years, choreographing for both men and women and working with such notable performers as Jose Ramirez, Alejandra Gil, Richard Farley, Ruben Studdard, and others. She has also choreographed for the film industry in films like” Fargo”,” Annie” and “Trouble”. In fact, she became popular in the dance scene, particularly in Europe, and in the United States, as a choreographer for the revival of the Broadway musical “Hairspray”.
It was during the late nineteen seventies that Angelica began to work in the fashion industry, first working as a catalogue assistant for Fendi. From there, she traveled to Paris as a stylist for both Balmain and Le Smoking, where she designed the catwalk for Le Smoking’s show entitled “Threesome”. She then worked with the well-known photographer Mario Testino, for his book “My First Love”. After that, she travelled to New York City, where she photographed both Marlon Brando and John Lennon. Later, Angelica returned to Peru, where she worked on projects in the Amazon jungle as well as performing at various popular clubs in Paris.
What separates Angelica Manguele from other dancers and stylists of her time is her unique way of viewing the world and her ability to use her height and weight to her advantage. The unique perspective of a ballerina means that when she is tall she can make artwork out of her height and when she is small she can use her small physique to her advantage. This means that Angelica has always had an eye for colours and design. In fact, one of her first assignments was to design the ballet uniforms for the Peruvian National Ballet, which she did for twelve years. From there, Angelica was employed by Ciezaio, who commissioned her to design the dance wear for the Brazilian National Symphony Orchestra. Ciezaio became very famous in Brazil and was responsible for the design of Angelica’s costumes for the film “Cantante”.