Editing Madonna (section)

=== 1958–1978: Early life ===
Madonna Louise Ciccone{{sfn|Leonard|D'Acierno|1998|p=492}} was born in [[Bay City, Michigan]], on August 16, 1958, to Roman Catholic parents Madonna Louise (née Fortin) and Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone.<ref name="mom">{{harvnb|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=11–13}}</ref><ref name=allmusicbio>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madonna-mn0000237205/biography|title=Madonna Biography|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=April 13, 2015|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|archive-date=January 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124145233/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madonna-mn0000237205/biography|url-status=live}}</ref> Her father's parents were Italian emigrants from [[Pacentro]] while her mother was of [[French-Canadian]] descent.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=10}} Tony Ciccone worked as an optics engineer for [[Chrysler#Chrysler Defense|Chrysler Defense]] and its successor, [[General Dynamics Land Systems]], on military projects. Since Madonna had the same name as her mother, family members called her "Little Nonnie".<ref>{{harvnb|Cross|2007|p=2}}</ref> Her mother died of breast cancer on December 1, 1963, when Madonna was five years old. Madonna grew up in the Detroit suburbs of [[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]] and Avon Township (now [[Rochester Hills, Michigan|Rochester Hills]]), alongside her two older brothers—Anthony (1956–2023) and Martin (born 1957)—and three younger siblings—Paula (born 1959), [[Christopher Ciccone|Christopher]] (1960–2024), and Melanie (born 1962).<ref name="thechild">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1400097/The-child-who-became-a-star.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1400097/The-child-who-became-a-star.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Child Who Became a Star: Madonna Timeline|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=July 26, 2006|access-date=June 9, 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Madonna adopted Veronica as a [[Confirmation#Confirmation name|confirmation name]] upon receiving the [[Confirmation in the Catholic Church|sacrament]] in the Catholic Church in 1966.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/madonna-albums-songs-celebration-tour-queen-of-pop-legacy-40th-anniversary|title=Songbook: How Madonna Became The Queen Of Pop & Reinvention, From Her 'Boy Toy' Era To The Celebration Tour|date=July 27, 2023|access-date=October 17, 2024|archive-date=August 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801154718/https://www.grammy.com/news/madonna-albums-songs-celebration-tour-queen-of-pop-legacy-40th-anniversary|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Madonna family in their vineyard cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|From left: Madonna's stepmother Joan, and Madonna's father, Tony Ciccone]]
Tony married the family's housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, that same year. They were married for 58 years until Joan's death in 2024, and had three children: Joey (who died shortly after his 1967 birth from a heart defect), Jennifer (born 1968), and Mario (born 1969).<ref name="thechild" /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/madonna-stepmother-joan-ciccone-dies-at-81-of-cancer-8719328|title=Madonna's Stepmom Joan Ciccone Dies at 81 of 'Very Aggressive Cancer'|first=Rachel|last=DeSantis|magazine=People|date=September 26, 2024|accessdate=October 6, 2024}}</ref>

Madonna attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools, and West Middle School. She was known for her high [[grade point average]] (GPA) and achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior. Madonna would perform [[cartwheel (gymnastics)|cartwheels]] and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangle by her knees from the [[jungle gym|monkey bars]] during recess, and pull up her skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her underwear.<ref name="tarabio">{{harvnb|Taraborrelli|2002|p=23}}</ref> She later admitted to seeing herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms or legs, and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades... I wanted to be somebody."<ref name="mom" />

Madonna's father put her in classical piano lessons, but she later convinced him to allow her to take ballet lessons.{{Sfn|Cross|2007|p=10}} Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, persuaded her to pursue a career in dance.<ref>{{harvnb|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=26–29}}</ref> Madonna later attended [[Rochester Adams High School]] and became a straight-A student as well as a member of its cheerleading squad.<ref>{{harvnb|Claro|1994|pp=24, 27}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Cross|2007|p=9}}</ref> After graduating in January 1976, she received a dance scholarship to the [[University of Michigan]] and studied over the summer at the [[American Dance Festival]] in [[Durham, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Tilden|first=Imogen|title=Madonna|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=July 4, 2001|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jul/04/netnotes.imogentilden|access-date=May 29, 2008|archive-date=October 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093721/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jul/04/netnotes.imogentilden|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name= charlotteobserver />

In 1978, Madonna dropped out of college and relocated to New York City.<ref>{{cite episode|title=A Star with Staying Power|url=https://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/madonna/profile.html|year=2004|access-date=April 22, 2015|series=People in the News|network=[[CNN]]|credits=Hosted by Paula Zahn|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220123911/http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/madonna/profile.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She said of her move to New York, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done."<ref>{{harvnb|Rettenmund|1995|p=45}}</ref> Madonna soon found an apartment in the [[Alphabet City, Manhattan|Alphabet City]] neighborhood of the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]]<ref>{{Harvnb|Taraborrelli|2002|p=37}}</ref> and had little money while working as a hatcheck girl for the [[Russian Tea Room]], an elevator operator at [[Terrace on the Park]], and with [[modern dance]] troupes. She took classes at the [[Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater]], eventually performing with [[Pearl Lang]] Dance Theater.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|last=Anderson|first=Christopher|date=October 14, 1991|title=Madonna Rising|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkNwz83JvvkC&q=dan+gilroy+madonna+synagogue+i&pg=PA44|magazine=New York|pages=40–51|access-date=May 15, 2021|archive-date=July 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727072342/https://books.google.com/books?id=EkNwz83JvvkC&q=dan+gilroy+madonna+synagogue+i&pg=PA44|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name= charlotteobserver>{{cite news|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article23418204.html|title=Madonna before she was Madonna – dancing at American Dance Festival|newspaper=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|access-date=December 14, 2015|date=June 7, 2015|last=Menconi|first=David|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053426/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article23418204.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=Madonna: Queen of Pop|series=Biography|network=[[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]]|minutes=5|credits=Hosted by Jim Wallasky}}</ref> She also studied dance under the tutelage of the noted American dancer and choreographer [[Martha Graham]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/everything-we-know-about-madonnas-new-album-madame-x.html|title=Everything We Know About Madonna's New Album ''Madame X''|last=Polk|first=Milan|website=Vulture|date=April 22, 2019|access-date=May 21, 2019|archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422231216/https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/everything-we-know-about-madonnas-new-album-madame-x.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists. One night, while returning from a rehearsal, a pair of men held her at knifepoint and forced her to perform [[fellatio]]. She later found the incident to be "a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it."<ref>{{harvnb|O'Brien|2007|p=56}}</ref>