Felipe Rose

Felipe Swift Arrow Ortiz Rose[note 1] was born in Manhattan[1] to a Puerto Rican/Italian mother and Lakota/Apache father.[2][3] He describes himself as a "bi-racial baby...half Native American and half Spanish."[1] His mother was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland US at 7 years of age.[4] His father was a welder who moved to New York City during the 1940s, along with a wave of Native Americans looking to work in construction.[2] His parents met while his mother was on her way to an audition at the Copacabana Club; she danced at the club during the 1940s and 1950s.[1]

His spirit name, Swift Arrow, was given to him by his father in his childhood to describe his movements.[1][4][5]

He was raised in the ghettos of Brooklyn,[1] where he displayed an interest in the arts during his childhood. His mother was his main inspiration as she herself had been a dancer for the Copacabana Club.[4]

In 1970, at the age of 16, Rose earned a dance scholarship and planned to pursue a career as a professional dancer.[4]

In his youth, Rose moved from "the ghetto" to Greenwich Village, an epicenter of LGBT arts & culture.[6]

During this time, Rose befriended Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, best known for their involvement in the 1969 Stonewall riots.[6] He recalled running into them for breakfast at soul food eatery The Pink Tea Cup,[6][7] a Village restaurant since relocated to Brooklyn.[8]

The character he played in the Village People is based on his father, who was "a Native American of two tribes, Lakota and Apache."

In the daytime, he dressed in long braided hair, short shorts, moccasins up to his knees, a buckskin jacket, a necklace, and his father's bag.

Rose began as a nightclub dancer. He describes being encouraged by an aunt to begin dancing "in his father's tribal regalia",[1] which he says led to his costume in the Village People. Rose was working as a dancer and a bartender in the gay New York discotheque The Anvil, dressed "as an [American] Indian" when he was discovered by French producer Jacques Morali and executive producer Henri Belolo and so became the first recruit for Village People.[1]

In 1977, Village People had their first hit with "San Francisco", although this song became a hit only in the United Kingdom. Then in 1978 they had their first hits in the U.S. with "Macho Man" followed by "YMCA"[1][9]

He is a member of the band's board of directors, called Sixuvus Ltd ("six of us" - named for the six members of the Village People).[1]

From 2000 to 2008, while still part of Village People, Felipe wrote and recorded “Trail of Tears,” “We’re Still Here,” “Red Hawk Woman” and “Going Back to My Roots."[10]

His single "Trails of Tears" won a NAMMY (Native American Music Awards) for Best Historical Recording.[1] In 2002, Rose was the opening act of the fifth Annual Native American Music Awards celebrated at the Marcus Amphitheatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[9] His media company is the "Tomahawk Group".[9]

Rose has appeared in the movies Can't Stop the Music (1980), The Best of Village People (1993), and Feathers and Leathers: The Story of the Village People (1999). He also participated in the 2000 documentary, Village People: The E! True Hollywood Story.[1][9]

In 2008, Rose received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame a month later.[10]

His 2018 single, "Going Back to My Roots," begins with a Lakota prayer and a includes a rap by Native American hip-hop star Sten Joddi. He first performed the song during a tribute show of the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever, a movie in which the Village People appeared.[11]

By 2014, he had become an ordained minister along with Eric the Biker, in order to gain the ability to marry fans.[12] When asked if this was used for gay marriages, Rose claimed he once spontaneously married an gay couple while aboard a ship in Australia.[12]

After his mother's death, Rose moved in Richmond, Virginia, and he briefly lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, though he found it to be too crowded.[1]

In a 2008 interview, he stated that approximately four or five years prior, he moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey on the advice of several friends who lived there, saying, "So I came down and I just fell in love with the shore... I love the diversity of Asbury because it brings everyone together. There is a very large gay and lesbian community here, but the diversity of artists is amazing; it’s become very bohemian."[1]

Since 13 years of age, he is also a hobbyist cook, making dishes inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage (even though his mom was not a cook, preferring to prepare "five cans of Chef Boyardee and a loaf of bread").[10] He pitched the show to ABC, claiming he would prepare meals at various celebrities' houses. He even revamped the show with the late Chef Lou Petrozza, a Hell's Kitchen runner-up, but ABC declined unless the other Village People members were present.[10] As of 2021, he continues to cook on his YouTube channel.[10]

• List of Puerto Ricans

• Official website
• Felipe Rose at IMDb
• "A Pop Culture icon, Felipe remained one of the original members in the band for over 40 years and one of the most recognizable ones". Pop Expresso. January 12, 2021.