Original Soul Train Dancer Adolfo 'Shabba Doo' Quniones passes away at 65

Adolfo Gutierrez Quiñones, AKA Adolfo Gordon Quiñones was born on May 11, 1955, and died on December 30, 2020, at his home. His professional name was Shabba Doo, and he was an American of Peurto Rican and African descent. If the names don't ring a bell his face should be familiar because of his success in various factions of the entertainment industry. Shabba was a dancer, choreographer, as well as an actor. Quiñones is perhaps best known for his role as Orlando "Ozone" in the 1984 breakdancing film Breakin' and the sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.

He was a member of "The Original Lockers" which also included Don "Campbellock" Campbell, Toni Basil, and Fred Berry who gained fame as Rerun on the sitcom What's Happeninga. This group brought genre of -popping and locking to the mainstream world. In the following video, Shabba Doo's dance moves are showcased and you can see that he really was a pioneer during the 1970s and 1980s with his dancing on Soul Train as well as in the Breakin movies.

Quinones was one of the original Soul Train dancers and was known for his smooth moves as well as his huge Afro. He was also an actor who had television roles in Saturday Night Live, Miami Vice, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, What's Happening!!, Married... with Children, and Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure. In addition to acting, dancing and working in television and film Quiñones was a choreographer to many famous singers. These include Madonna, Lionel Richie, and Luther Vandross. He was the main choreographer as well as a primary dancer for Madonna's 1987 Who's That Girl? tour.

Shabba Doo was the choreographer for Jamie Kennedy's MTV sitcom, Blowin' Up,, and he also choreographed Three Six Mafia's performance on the 78th Academy Awards show. He was a featured dancer in Chaka Khan's music video for the 1984 hit song "I Feel for You". He was also in the following movies

1978 Disco Fever Dancer at Jet

1980 Xanadu Uncredited role as a Xanadu Dancer

1984 Breakin' Ozone / Orlando

1984 Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Ozone

1989 Tango & Cash Dancer

1990 Lambada Ramone

1993 Dancing to a Different Beat Rave

1995 Steel Frontier Deacon

Adolfo Quiñones married twice, but there is no mention of children.. His first wife was Gwendolyn Powell, who often danced with him on Soult Train. This union lasted three years, from 1979 to 1982. In 1982 he married actress Lela Rochon, and this marriage lasted five years, from 1982 to 1987. Rochon was in the movies Waithing to Exhale, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Harlem Nights, and Boomerang. The entertainer's mother was African American and his father Puerto Rican and his sister Fawn Quiñones also danced with him on Soul Train.

Soul Train was diverse without ever announcing it or pointing it out. Although it may have appeared to some that the dancers were various shades of African Americans, this was not true. In addition to the Quinones siblings. there were biracial dancers of various heritage and popular Asian dancer Cheryl Song. Later another dancer came on board who looked to be both black and Asian. I was not however, able to find out her name. Liek Song she had waist length hair was was of a darker complexion. Adolfo Quiñones left a lasting legacy with his movies, choreography, and ground breaking dance moves. The entertainment world has truly lost a legend.