Yolanda Montes

Yolanda Yvonne Montes Farrington (born January 3, 1932), better known by her stage-name Tongolele, is an American dancer, actress and vedette. Early life As a child, she danced for the International Ballet of San Francisco, California as part of a Tahitian Revue. In 1947, she moved to Mexico and was hired as a dancer by Américo Mancini, a theater impresario. She also appeared in the famous Cabaret Tívoli in Mexico City. Her stage name, "Tongolele", came after mixing African and Tahitian words. Career Her career was sheltered by theatrical success in the main theaters and cabarets of Mexico City. Tongolele boosted the success of the "Exoticas", a group of vedettes that caused sensation in Mexico in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Although other vedettes that became popular at the time (like "Kalantán", "Bongala" and Su Muy Key) appeared, none reached the levels of popularity of Tongolele. Yolanda was baptized by Mexican journalist Carlos Estrada Lang as "The Queen of Tahitian Dances", as each night she congregated a wide male audience who adored her perfect silhouette and feline movements that marked an era in Mexico.