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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Dame Libby Komaiko, professor emeritus of
4Northeastern Illinois University and founder of the Ensemble
5Espanol Spanish Dance and Theater, who passed away on February
62, 2019 at Chicago's Illinois Masonic Hospital at the age of
769; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Dame Libby, a native of Evanston, was born in 1949
9to parents who were both musicians; she earned her bachelor's
10degree in the nontraditional degree program at Northeastern
11Illinois University in 1978; in 1975, she founded the Ensemble
12Espanol Spanish Dance Theater and built an arts residency
13program with Northeastern Illinois University, forming the
14premier Spanish dance and music center in the United States;
15incorporated in 1976, she then led the fledgling company of
16seven dancers through decades of growth, change, and exciting
17opportunities; today, the company is a critically acclaimed
18performance ensemble that tours national and internationally
19and provides educational outreach that spans kindergarten to
20college-level students; for nearly 40 years, the company has
21continued its mission to present, promote, and preserve the
22Flamenco, folkloric, classical, and contemporary dance and
23music traditions of Spain; Dame Libby is recognized as one of
24the country's most influential figures in artistic distinction

 

 

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1and arts education; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Dame Libby began her dance training and
3performance in classical ballet and character dance as a young
4child with Elisa Stigler at the Chicago Musical College of
5Roosevelt University; as a teen, she studied and performed
6jazz, modern, and musical theater with Gus Giordano; at the age
7of 18, she auditioned for the legendary Jose Greco and was
8given the opportunity to learn and perform with his world
9famous Spanish Dance Company; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1983, the Spanish royal court awarded Dame
11Libby with the "Lazo de Dama de Isabel la Catolica", or "Ribbon
12of the Dame"; she was the first American and one of only three
13choreographers to receive this distinguished honor; she
14completed the filming of a video documentary, Ensemble Espanol:
15The First 20 years, 1976-1996, in 1998; additional honors
16include the Ruth Page Award (2003), the International Latino
17Cultural Center Lifetime Achievement Award (2004), and the
18inaugural See Chicago Dance Legacy Award in 2017; she produced
19a CD of Spanish music and castanets, "Dama Libby and Friends",
20which benefits the Ensemble's Youth Scholarship and Endowment
21Funds; she taught at Northeastern Illinois University for 37
22years; she retired as professor emerita of the Northeastern
23Illinois University department of music and dance in 2011 and
24received the university's distinguished alumnus award in 2015;

 

 

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1and
 
2    WHEREAS, Northeastern Illinois University and the Ensemble
3Espanol Spanish Dance Theater are hosting a memorial to honor
4the life and legacy of Dame Libby on April 27, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dame Libby is survived by her sister, Leah
6Komaiko; her brothers, Bill and Dan Komaiko; her birth
7daughter, Jen Miller; and her birth granddaughter, Amanda
8Miller; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we offer our
11condolences to the family and friends of Dame Libby Komaiko and
12honor the lasting legacy she left for her students, colleagues,
13mentees, and many others; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of Dame Libby as an expression of our
16deepest sympathy.