Adelle Gordon Cohen
was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and began studying dance at five and performed in summer stock before moving to New York at 17. Adelle joined the Colby Claire Dancers and later toured the East Coast with the Bob Conrad Dancers. In 1956, Adelle joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a lead dancer, learning trapeze and performing alongside her assigned elephant, Minyak.
Following a Broadway engagement with the Ziegfeld Follies, Adelle joined Lou Walters’ World Famous Latin Quarter, performing in New York and Miami Beach alongside headliners including Kathryn Grayson, Betty Grable, and Jimmy Durante. She subsequently toured with Durante and danced in Las Vegas at the Dunes, Sands, and Riviera hotels, as well as in Viva Le Girls.
Adelle later worked at Columbia Records, married Leonard Cohen, and raised their son, David, a screenwriter in Los Angeles. She remained active in community theater and Latin Quarter reunions, preserving the friendships and memories of her performing years.
