Freddie letuli biography

Freddie Letuli, (April 30, 1919 as Uluao Letuli Misilagi in the village of Nuʻuuli in American Samoa – 2003).
Freddie Letuli was born on April 30, 1919 in Nu'uuli, American Samoa.
Freddie Letuli, originated the fire knife dance in 1946 at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, previously dancing in Hawaii and Los Angeles with two knives.

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Freddie Letuli

American judge

Freddie Letuli, (April 30, 1919 as Uluao Letuli Misilagi in the village of Nuʻuuli in American Samoa – 2003), originated the fire knife dance in 1946 at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, previously dancing in Hawaii and Los Angeles with two knives. Along with performing, Freddie was also the teacher to the early fire knife dancers.

Dating back from the 1940s to the 1960s, Freddie Letuli performed throughout the US and Europe with his dance troupes formerly known as "Freddie Letuli and the Flaming Sword of Samoa, showcasing his talents and his island. Additional dance troupes (such as the Samoan Warriors, Freddie Letuli and his Wild Polynesians, Freddie Letuli and the Samoans, and Freddie Letuli and the Hawaiians) were formed to fill his contracts and to keep up with the demand for the Polynesian shows. They performed regularly at various venues in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Italy, Chicago, Kentucky, Washington, Australia, and New York.

Freddie's great talents and expertise got him on movies like Pagan Love

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Flaming Sword of Samoa: The Story of the Fire Knife Dance

FLAMING SWORD OF SAMOA is a fascinating chronicle of the life of showman and Paramount Chief Freddie Letuli. Born in a small village in American Samoa, Letuli created the fire knife dance that spawned a whole generation of entertainers and carried the color and excitement of Polynesia around the world from Pago Pago to Hollywood to Las Vegas' Cirque du Soleil. Written in his own words, as told to his wife, Patricia Letuli, FLAMING SWORD OF SAMOA also features an extensive gallery of photographs, posters and news items tracing the evolution of the dance and Freddie Letuli's long career in show business from Hollywood films and television shows to international nightclub stages. Foreword by America Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono.

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Flaming Sword of Samoa
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The amazing chronicle of the life of Samoan showman and Paramount Chief Freddie Letuli. Born in a small village in American Samoa, Letuli — recognized as the Father of the Fire Knife Dance — created the electrifying dance that spawned a whole generation of entertainers and carried the color and excitement of Polynesia around the world.

Nicknamed “Freddie” after his adulation for Fred Astaire, young Uluao Letuli Misilagi learned to dance with the traditional Samoan nifo ‘oti, or death knives. In 1946 he added fire to his knives after watching a baton twirler and an East Indian fire-eater practice their routines at a Shriners Convention in San Francisco. In the years that followed, this sudden inspiration would change the face of Polynesian entertainment.

Written in his own words, as told to his wife, Patricia Letuli, Flaming Sword of Samoa also features an extensive gallery of photographs, posters and news items chronicling the evolution of the dance and Freddie Letuli’