1.
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
2.
Theatre is immediate gratification
Chita Rivera
3.
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
4.
Mother loved dance so much that she thought (ballerina) Margot Fonteyn should be the president.
Chita Rivera
5.
The spirit of dance is an amazing thing. When the body and the spirit meet, it's a good thing.
Chita Rivera
6.
It's communication - that's what theatre is all about.
Chita Rivera
7.
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
8.
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
9.
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
10.
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
11.
Looking back doesn't have to be painful.
Chita Rivera
12.
I love life. I love the live theater.
Chita Rivera
13.
I'm not comfortable with just me, me, me. That's boring.
Chita Rivera
14.
American audiences are affected by what the English people think.
Chita Rivera
15.
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
16.
You know I've got a generator that's still popping.
Chita Rivera
17.
I can tell you where my Tonys are. They're in a beautiful place in my living room, in a glass cabinet.
Chita Rivera
18.
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
19.
We were taking collections for people with AIDS in New York around Easter.
Chita Rivera
20.
I have to make this love affair believable enough. It's very European.
Chita Rivera
21.
My hairdresser and I found ourselves shopping at Bloomingdale's with nothing to do for days.
Chita Rivera
22.
I was busy welcoming a new experience. I had never done a movie before.
Chita Rivera
23.
San Francisco has just blown us all away. I also understand Angels in America didn't do well there.
Chita Rivera
24.
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
25.
I love to laugh, I love the joy of life, and I love sharing it.
Chita Rivera
26.
I love the theater because the theater is alive. The audience is right there.
Chita Rivera
27.
I never like the way I look. I don't. I never look at myself.
Chita Rivera
28.
I really never felt any tremendous aggravation or separation.
Chita Rivera
29.
Somebody told me once I wasn't Latin enough, and that made me laugh
Chita Rivera
30.
I've played American, Italian, Greek, French. I've been really lucky that way.
Chita Rivera
31.
After about 15 minutes, you feel that you're winning them over.
Chita Rivera
32.
I have always loved a challenge.
Chita Rivera
33.
Beauty is not everything!
Chita Rivera
34.
A lot of Americans like happy endings, but life does not necessarily have a happy ending.
Chita Rivera
35.
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
36.
I never feel as though I'm ever, ever alone.
Chita Rivera
37.
I have been very lucky, I have only had one bad experience.
Chita Rivera
