Fosse Style » (First)

Debra McWaters is a choreographer who has assisted with the choreography in such Broadway productions as Chicago and Fosse and was the director/choreographer on the international company of Fosse. As the artistic director of the Broadway Theatre Project at the University of South Florida, she is often called upon to teach Fosse workshops across the country.

Even people with the barest interest in Broadway can recognize the unique, angular, sensual style of Bob Fosse. With its small gestures and isolated movements, it is frequently copied--and often misinterpreted.
 
For there is far more to it than bowler hats and white gloves, which is why choreographer Debra McWaters has put together the ultimate visual and verbal guide to Fosse's way of dancing, choreographing, and teaching.
 
Using hundreds of photographs, as well as descriptions from Fosse himself, McWaters guides dancers and teachers through the process of understanding the intricacies of this style of jazz dance. An assistant to Gwen Verdon on Fosse, a long-time associate of Ann Reinking, and personal choreographer for Ben Vereen, McWaters is uniquely situated to write this book.
 
The Fosse Style provides facts, not guesswork, about how to execute Fosse's signature movements, information handed down from an illustrious list of artists and performers. It closes with a sample dance featuring Fosse's signature moves. No dancer or fan of such shows as The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees!, Sweet Charity, Cabaret, Pippin, or Chicago can afford to be without this book.

Foreword   Ben Vereen     ix
Prologue   Mindy Aloff     xi
Acknowledgments     xv
Introduction     1
Hands     3
Arms     21
Shoulders     46
Hips and Derriere     49
Legs and Feet     53
Walks     57
Body Positions     82
Steps     88
Facial Expression     161
Group Movement     163
The Dancer as Actor     167
Choreography by Debra McWaters in the Fosse Style     178
Index     223