Frank Pietri

Frank Pietri, born Francisco Pietri on July 6, 1934, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was an American performer and choreographer whose career in New York City extended across more than four decades. He died on March 26, 2020. The son of Amalia Vega and Dr. Augustin Pietri, he became a protégé of dancer and choreographer Matt Mattox, a relationship that shaped both his performance career and his later work as a teacher.

Pietri's Broadway career ran from 1959 to 1979 and included membership in the original casts of several productions. His credits encompassed Destry Rides Again, Wildcat, What Makes Sammy Run?, Golden Rainbow, Promises, Promises, Seesaw, I Remember Mama, and Ballroom, with several of those productions choreographed by Michael Bennett.

Beyond Broadway, Pietri worked across multiple entertainment formats, including television, nightclub acts, industrial productions, cruise ships, and film. His screen work included a role in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You.

Teaching was a sustained part of Pietri's professional life. He held faculty positions at the Matt Mattox School, Morelli School of Dance, Ballet Hispanico School, Peridance Center, Joe Davis Dance Center, Joyce Trisler Dance Studio, Dance Concepts Inc., Marymount College, and New Dance Group Arts Center. He remained on the faculty at New Dance Group until the studio closed in February 2009, and he also taught at Roy Arias Studios in New York City. As a guest instructor, Pietri brought his Free-Style Jazz Technique to students throughout the United States and Europe.