{"id":1678,"date":"2014-02-05T03:00:43","date_gmt":"2014-02-05T04:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2025-04-08T15:36:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:36:44","slug":"must-read-broadway-biographies-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/2014\/02\/05\/must-read-broadway-biographies-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Must Read Broadway Biographies"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mary Callahan of Dance Informa<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What exactly does it mean to be a smart <\/i>dancer?\u00a0 You show up to class, give one hundred and ten percent, and even practice more once you get home.\u00a0 But do you really understand what <\/i>you\u2019re dancing\u2014what the style is, when it was created, and by whom?\u00a0 Learning the history behind dance \u2013 of any genre \u2013 will not only enlighten you but also make you a more knowledgeable and engaged performer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Musical theatre can sometimes be the hardest style of dance because you\u2019re forced to take on a different persona from another time and place.\u00a0 Ballerinas often struggle to perform the hunch-backed, pigeon-toed steps of Bob Fosse while heavy tappers have to practice the grace and ease of Fred Astaire\u2019s phrase work.\u00a0 You wouldn\u2019t turn in a book report without reading the book.\u00a0 So why would you perform a dance without studying where it came from?\u00a0 By researching these Broadway dance legends you\u2019re essentially doing your homework outside of the studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wondering where to begin? \u00a0Dance Informa<\/span><\/a> picked out a few stellar biographies to help you get in touch with some of the signature styles of musical theatre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steps in Time: An Autobiography \u2013 Fred Astaire<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We all know Fred Astaire, one of the greatest entertainers of American history who effectively revolutionized the movie musical.\u00a0 However, at one of his early screen tests, a studio executive commented that Astaire, \u201cCan\u2019t sing.\u00a0 Can\u2019t act.\u00a0 Slightly balding. Can dance a little.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s a good thing Astaire didn\u2019t let that get to him!\u00a0 Astaire\u2019s film career finally took off when he was paired to dance with Ginger Rogers (take a look at her autobiography, Ginger: My Story).\u00a0 With his debonair style, quick feet, and classic charm, Astaire starred in Hollywood films and Broadway musicals such as \u201cFunny Face,\u201d \u201cSwing Time,\u201d \u201cRoyal Wedding,\u201d and \u201cEaster Parade.\u201d\u00a0 Astaire\u2019s own autobiography gives us a glimpse of the man behind all the fancy steps.\u00a0 And his writing style is as sweet and sophisticated as his tap dancing.\u00a0 While he suffered the typical highs and lows of show business, Astaire handled it all with class.\u00a0 Noted by George Balanchine as \u201cthe greatest dancer of the 20th<\/sup> century,\u201d Fred Astaire\u2019s chic and stylized movement is still ever-present in the dance world today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the Parade Passes By: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical \u2013 John Anthony Gilvey<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

With beloved hits like Hello, Dolly!, Bye Bye, Birdie, <\/i>and 42nd<\/sup> Street<\/i>, Gower Champion was surely one of the kings of Broadway\u2019s Golden Age.\u00a0 In fact, Gilvey argues that Broadway\u2019s Golden Age spanned from Champion\u2019s Bye Bye, Birdie<\/i> in 1960 to Champion\u2019s 42nd<\/sup> Street<\/i> in 1980.\u00a0 He won five Tony Awards for his choreography and three others for his direction of musicals. Nevertheless, Champion is surprisingly often left out of the list of the greatest Broadway choreographers.\u00a0 Gilvey\u2019s biography strives to preserve Champion\u2019s legacy.\u00a0 He recounts Champion\u2019s early television and film career with his wife and dance partner, Marge Champion.\u00a0 The pair performed for New York\u2019s hottest nightclubs and hotels as well as in a number of Hollywood films.\u00a0 This book highlights what made Broadway\u2019s Golden Age so glorious and why Gower Champion deserves to be a remembered name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dance with Demons: The Life of Jerome Robbins \u2013 Greg Lawrence<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jerome Robbins was notoriously one of the toughest director-choreographers of all time.\u00a0 Though he made a lasting mark on Broadway through legendary shows such as West Side Story<\/i>, Fiddler on the Roof<\/i>, Gypsy<\/i>, and The King and I<\/i>, Robbins has left a controversial legacy.\u00a0 While shooting the film of \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d Robbins rehearsed the dancers to complete exhaustion, demanding so many hundreds of takes that he was eventually fired from the project.\u00a0 In Dance with Demons, Lawrence digs deep into Jerome Robbins, the man\u2014off-stage.\u00a0 Like so many others, Robbins suffered from his own private demons, feeling tortured by his overwhelming perfectionism, his bisexuality, his relationship with his parents, his religion, and his participation in the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s.\u00a0 During his life, Robbins dealt with his demons through hostility and aggression.\u00a0 But in Dance with Demons, Lawrence peels away Robbins\u2019 layers of anger to uncover the true genius within.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett \u2013 Ken Mandelbaum<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Though Michael Bennett\u2019s life was short (he died of AIDS at the age of forty-four), his impact on the dance world is legendary. \u00a0While Bennett is often grouped together with choreographers like Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse, he did not have a signature style to his name.\u00a0 Nevertheless, with shows like Promises, Promises<\/i>, Company<\/i>, Dreamgirls<\/i>, Follies<\/i>, and A Chorus Line<\/i>, Bennett won seven out of the eighteen Tony Awards he was nominated for his choreography.\u00a0 He dropped out of high school and began his professional career as Baby John in the national and international tours of West Side Story<\/i>.\u00a0 He appeared on Broadway and in NBC\u2019s pop music show, \u201cHullabaloo\u201d before breaking into the industry as a choreographer.\u00a0 Bennett\u2019s work with A Chorus Line<\/i> was monumental: documenting the life of a chorus dancer, weaving real stories of his friends and colleagues into the quintessential dance (or, rather, dancer<\/i>) musical. \u00a0Mandelbaum\u2019s book takes a backstage look at the making of A Chorus Line <\/i>and the genius that brought the life of each chorus girl and boy to center stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life \u2013 Donna McKechnie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Known by many as \u201cthe sweetest person in show business,\u201d Donna McKechnie is renowned for her unforgettable role as \u201cCassie\u201d in Michael Bennett\u2019s A Chorus Line<\/i>.\u00a0 But McKechnie\u2019s autobiography talks about the real woman behind Cassie, behind the signature red dress, the standing ovations, and the Tony Awards.\u00a0 Infected by the \u201cdance bug\u201d at a young age, McKechnie ran away from home to pursue a professional dance career at just fifteen.\u00a0 And while she ascended Broadway in shows like How to Succeed in Business…<\/i>, Promises, Promises<\/i>, Company, <\/i>and, of course, A Chorus Line<\/i>, McKechnie admits that her fame was not as beautiful as it appeared on stage.\u00a0 But even after divorce, depression, and a nearly debilitating case of rheumatoid arthritis, McKechnie\u2019s passion for dance triumphed. \u00a0Just as the classic songs goes, McKechnie\u2019s biography illustrates how she can\u2019t forget or regret what she did for love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Push Comes to Shove \u2013 Twyla Tharp<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Along with over one hundred and thirty concert pieces under her belt, Twyla Tharp has also conquered film, television, and the Broadway stage.\u00a0 She directed and choreographed such shows as Singin\u2019 in the Rain<\/i>, Come Fly Away, <\/i>and the Tony Award-winning Movin\u2019 Out<\/i>.\u00a0 From the start, Tharp\u2019s work pushed boundaries by combining the balletic with the edgy, the technical with the lay, and the serious with the witty.\u00a0 Movin\u2019 Out <\/i>was a successful dance musical where the dancers acted out the entire story onstage through movement.\u00a0 Tharp\u2019s autobiography is as beautifully crafted as her dances, combining in anecdotes with illustrations of her creative process.\u00a0 She recounts personal experiences \u2013 both painful and joyous \u2013 that inspired and shaped her canon of choreography.\u00a0 Tharp also authored two other books, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life and The Collaborative Habit, that are staples for any young artist or creative thinker.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fosse \u2013 Sam Wasson<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly every dancer knows the signature jazz hands, back bumps, and pigeon-toed walks of Bob Fosse.\u00a0 The genius behind shows like Chicago<\/i>, Sweet Charity<\/i>, and Pippin<\/i>, Fosse created an entirely new dance vocabulary that eventually won him the Triple Crown in 1973 (a Tony Award for Pippin<\/i>, an Oscar for \u201cCabaret,\u201d and an Emmy for \u201cLiza with a Z\u201d).\u00a0 Sam Wasson\u2019s recently released \u201cFosse\u201d is not a \u201cthrow-in-your-dance-bag-and-read-between-classes\u201d kind of a book.\u00a0 This 600 page hardcover text is chock full of interviews and anecdotes yet reads like a tantalizing docu-drama. \u00a0But unlike earlier biographies on Bob Fosse, Wasson reveals the man beneath his scandalous history of sex, drugs, and depression. A dedicated father, revered director-choreographer, and compassionate friend, Bob Fosse\u2019s fervent strive for perfection simultaneously led to his fame and his demise.<\/span><\/p>\n

The post Must Read Broadway Biographies<\/a> appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mary Callahan of Dance Informa. What exactly does it mean to be a smart dancer?\u00a0 You show up to class, give one hundred and ten percent, and even practice more once you get home.\u00a0 But do you really understand… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1680,"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions\/1680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fullrenovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}