This is a tough one.
I met Chita around 1996/97 through my friend & brilliant makeup artist Kate Best
@kateland7 , who called me and asked “can you please go and do Chita Rivera’s makeup & hair for a shoot as i am booked, and she is a special client of mine.” I was a bit floored as i knew the history of their working together and what a legend Chita was, and Kate was trusting me with her face!
So I went along to this gig and when she entered the room and we were introduced i said “ how ‘bout it Palsy, shall we do some makeup together?”, and with that riff on her line from “Sweet Charity” we were off to the races!
As Kate often called me for Chita, i began to see her more & more for events, appearances, Tony Awards, Kennedy Centre Honours, Chita Rivera Awards, Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS fundraisers, the list kept getting longer.
I learned so many things by being in her company and listening to her and how she navigated Life. when you’re 4 feet away from someone things stick.
The stories she had! funny, full of the details you want to hear but never salacious or disrespectful.
I was privy to so many fun and incredible moments , we once watched Mikhail Barishynikov teach a class at American Ballet Theatre as we were filming in the same building. We danced salsa together at the opening night of her Broadway show “A Dancer’s Life”, when she asked me to be her date. and along with her constant and brilliant Personal Production Manager Rosie
@belle1838 we laughed and talked a lot.
Chita was so kind to my family when she toured Australia and they visited her post performance and was welcoming and trusting of my friend and fellow Makeup Artist Steven
@makeupbysteven when I couldn’t do a gig and he filled in.
Chita and I last worked together on her book tour last year and as it was wrapping up I was heading to Budapest for a few days and she held me so tight in a hug and said “ look after that beautiful heart of yours Justen and always, always promise me you will take care of yourself. I love you.”
So Chita, I will certainly do that and you Lady, will live on in that heart of mine you mentioned. How lucky I was. Thankyou Chita
Now go dance up a storm!🙏♥️💃🏻
