FDA (Foundation Degree) Musical Theatre

Module DP452AW Dance Practitioners Research Essay

Submitted 03/05/2012

The Development of Bob Fosses Dance Style and his Influence over
Performers Today.

TOTAL WORD COUNT (exc. quotes and references): 1893

BNU ID: 21115041

A&W ID: 732565
Module Tutor: Tuirenn Hurstfield / Taira Foo

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This assignment will be looking at and exploring the legendary choreographer and
director Bob Fosse whose work is continuing to impact and shape the world of dance today. It
will begin by studying his early life and history in depth to discover what affected Fosse
growing up and who played key roles in his life that influenced his creative vision and
methodology. It will then focus on Fosses unique dance style and ask what makes his style
so iconic, looking at his trademarks and signature moves linking these to his personal life and
influences. Finally, this essay will look at how Fosses work is still affecting performers today
and how his contributions to dance have expanded outwards and into modern popular culture.
From an astonishingly young age, Robert Louis Bob Fosse, had incredible drive and
determination embedded within him. Fosses roots in vaudeville can be traced back into his
family, his father Cyril Fosse had earlier performed in Vaudeville with his brother Dick,
whom he idolised.(Long, Robert pg 145) So it was no surprise that Bobs father pushed for
his six children to perform. Yet all the lessons were wasted on Bobs siblings, his sisters
dragging a very young Fosse along to the dance lessons they reluctantly attended. Bob Fosse
began requesting dance lessons for himself, where he swiftly began to stand out dramatically
for his unbelievable dance skills. Fosse quickly realised how much attention his talent was
garnering and often held performances that showcased his ability for his family in their living
room which resulted in him being swiftly enrolled into the Chicago Academy of Arts aged
just nine years old. Just as he was becoming confident in himself, Bob Fosse began
developing a few health problems. His speech impediment may have made him lose some
faith in himself, he tried his hardest to not let his asthma get in the way of his goals for
Fosse, he was going to become a performer no matter what, and being the perfectionist he
was worked as hard as he could to be extraordinary. During his time at the academy Bob
Fosse, met an exuberant man named Frederic Weaver, or Skipper as Fosse nicknamed him.
He was a well-dressed man who oozed show business, and it was Weaver who evoked the
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sense of self importance and self-image into the heart of an impressionable Fosse who looked
up to Weaver his second father. Fosse was spending more time with this man than he was
his father, and he took on a glow whenever Skipper did something paternal like calling a
break in rehearsal so that they could sit down at the table in the corner of the studio and
listen to a broadcast of a Joe Louis prize-fight.(Gottfried, M pg 18). Weaver saw masses of
potential in Fosse and he knew he just had to get him out into the world to perform, and so
worked hard to ensure his future star was the best he could be. (Long, Robert. 2001)
(Gottfried, Martin. 2003) (Gnzl, Kurt. 2001) (Pendergast, Sara., et al. 2006) (Cutcher, Jenai.
2006) (Gnzl, Kurt. 2001)
Fosse was taught a variety of styles such as jazz and tap by a vaudeville dancer named
Marguerite Comerford, and he was deemed by many a veteran of dance aged just thirteen
(McQuiston, John T. 1987). Much to Comerfords dismay, Bob Fosse was already acquiring
his own unique style where she wanted straight arms with palms down, Fosse would tuck
his elbows in with his hands spread forward. Where she wanted to go right Fosses left
handedness instinctively turned him left, meaning he was constantly being discouraged and
he disliked not being in control. Weaver wasted no time in pairing Fosse up with another
aspiring performer called Charles Grass forming the tap dancing duo known as The Riff
Brothers. The boys were thrown head first into a much more liberated world of the nightlife
a lifetime away from his innocent life as an honour student at high school, a secret he kept
well hidden from his peers. This world however, was much more appealing to Fosse, in
between his performances, he discovered Cabaret shows filled with risqu routines,
Burlesque shows which taught him the art of teasing the audience and the sex fuelled dances
of night clubs. Fosse developed a healthy enthusiasm for striptease dancers and would
regularly sneak into Minksys Burlesque at Lake and Van Buren. It was at Minskys that he
discovered a lower type of comedy act and broader performance values, the pratfalls and
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slapstick of burlesque routines. He added them to his stock of show business lore.
(Gottfried, M. 2003) something he tapped into and played with when choreographing his own
routines later in life. Fosse also discovered his love for the vaudeville and Broadway star,
Fred Astaire whilst Swing Time was being shown at a theatre Fosse was working. Astaires
performances struck a chord within Fosses heart and for the rest of his life, Fosse would
consistently strive to match the standard of Astaires work in his own. Fosses secret, sordid
life injected Fosse with oodles of confidence and wherever he went he had girls falling at his
feet he was young and attractive, even his dance partner Charlie Grass admitted he was
jealous of him. He was handsome, he was blond, he was athletic. (Long, Robert pg. 34) and
being only fifteen, ended up being caught up in an affair scandal with a waitress. On top of
everything Fosse had learnt during his time starring in between the sex-fuelled shows, it had
also created within him a deep fixation with sex that was accompanied by a life-long sense
of guilt.. (Long, Robert pg.146) It was this guilt that made him appreciate women for
something other than sex objects, something that locked away these secrets away in his
second life as Bob Riff, and ultimately moved him towards a dance style that focused more
on sophistication and subtly. (Long, Robert. 2001) (Gottfried, Martin. 2003) (Pendergast,
Sara., et al. 2006) (Cutcher, Jenai. 2006) (Gnzl, Kurt. 2001)
Despite being a highly skilled dancer, it took some time for Fosse to start attracting
the big names in show business. Bob Fosses big Broadway debut as a choreographer came
after he worked on the 1953 MGM Film Kiss Me Kate, where his skills were brought to the
attention of Jerome Robbins, who was searching for someone to take the weight of
choreographing George Abbotts new show The Pajama Game(1954). After much
persuasion from Robbins, Abbot agreed to hire Fosse as choreographer a move which
earned Fosse his first, well deserved Tony Award for Best Choreography. Jerome Robbins
idea of dance was similar to that of Fosses in that they both felt that dance is a form of
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dramatic expression (Kenrick, J. pg. 81) and Fosse used Robbins views that dance should be
motivated by character and that steps should naturally occur as a result, to create dances that
were iconic and revolutionary yet still carried the story well throughout. (Everett, W. et al.
2008) (Kenrick, J. 2008).
Bob Fosse was perfectly happy working solely as a choreographer but directors
started asking Fosse to change and remove segments of his choreography as they were
deemed too overt and controversial. Fosse was used to getting his own way, as he had when
he was being taught by Marguerite Comerford during his days at the Academy, and his
choreography was incredibly close to him and didnt want it to be tampered with after he
poured his soul into every move. Fosse was growing tired of subverting his artistic vision
for the sake of being proper and after a run in with director George Abbott during
rehearsals for New Girl in Town (1957), Fosse realized that he needed to be the director
as well as the choreographer in order to have control over his dances.(Pendergast, S. et al.
2006) (Kenrick, J. 2008) It was this move that lead Fosse to create some of his most famous
and innovative work. He was the creative genius behind much loved classics such as Sweet
Charity (1966) which stemmed award winning dance routines such as Rich Mans Frug,
and he managed to collaborate with many famous Broadway and Hollywood visionaries such
as Kander and Ebb on Cabaret(1972) and Chicago(1975). Fosse even directed and
choreographed his own life and death in the auto-biographical movie All That Jazz(1979),
six years before he died of a heart attack on the opening night of a Sweet Charity revival.
Morton Gould, president of ASCAP, was asked what he thought of Fosse, saying I think that
he made some very visible contributions to what has happened on the musical stage. He was
creative and inventive. He is part of musical theater history. (Molotsky, Irvin. 1987) (Long,
Robert. 2001) (Gottfried, Martin. 2003) (Pendergast, Sara., et al. 2006)

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Regardless of which routines you watch of his, Fosses unique style makes any piece
of his choreography instantly recognisable as Bob Fosse Style. His dance style was heavily
influenced by popular styles such as Vaudeville, Tap, Jazz, Cabaret and Burlesque, and he
was Fascinated with vaudeville's dark humor and teasing sexual tones (Pendergast, Sara.,
et al. 2006) which is no surprise given the fact he grew up with those styles drilled into his
core. It was also during his childhood that Bob Fosse had a very strict and professional
manner drummed into him from his mentor and manager Frederick Weaver. By looking into
Fosses personal life, its clear to see what made him what he is so well known for. Fosses
consistent stubbornness against following order and what was deemed proper allowed him
to create one of his well-known moves, and his personal favourite move, turned in knees.
He turned in when everyone else turned out. He asked his dancers to flex when they had
been taught for several years to point. (Cutcher, J. pg 41-42). Fosse was also known to be
incredibly vain and terribly self-conscious, which was strange for someone who was so once
so confident and handsome. After he became prematurely bald, his bravado and pride was
shattered, a life changing moment which led to him constantly critiquing his appearance,
which to him was important even on his death bed (his wife Gwen Verdon dispersed the
crowds to protect him from the ugliness of laying on the floor (Gottfried, M. 2003). Luckily
for everyone else, it resulted in him bringing his signature props; a bowler hat; white gloves
and black clothing which not only looked sophisticated, stylish and sharp also ensured that
there were no breaks in his body line. The rake is a classic move that reflects his battle
with his insecurities he took things he disliked about himself like his hunched shoulders,
and using sharp, awkward angles Fred Astaire style - and masked them with clever tricks.
Working directly with Jerome Robbinss obsession with moves coming from the character
combined with Fosses perfectionist styled nature meant that Every single move meant
something, and there was nothing in there that did not need to be. (Cutcher, J. pg 37).

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Overall, Fosses way of dancing was very provactive. He used his expertise in burlesque to
tease the audience and it was his eye for perfection and precision that hooked his audiences in
on the tiniest of finger rolls. His work was also punishing for a dancer, where Fosse pushed
bodies into positions that werent normal, as if he was punishing himself because he dislike
himself so much. (Long, Robert. 2001) (Gottfried, Martin. 2003) (Pendergast, Sara., et al.
2006) (Cutcher, Jenai. 2006) (Gnzl, Kurt. 2001)
Bob Fosses work has stretched far beyond the world of musical theatre and his work
is being adapted and modernised by pop artists around the world. Modern pop icons and
legends such as Michael Jackson and Beyonc have been known to mimic and copy Fosses
routines and looking at videos of all their works for the purpose of comparison, its easy to
see Fosses impact on Jackson and Beyonc as performers. Both performers are often slated
and harshly criticised for choreographic plagiarism (Boles, D. 2009), For example the
video for Beyoncs single Get Me Bodied (Knowles, B. 2007) is almost identical to Rich
Mans Frug from Bob Fosses Sweet Charity (Film 1969) (Fosse, B. 1969) in terms of style,
however Beyonc has credited Bob Fosse as major influence in several of her dance numbers.
The main difference between Beyoncs and Fosse is that where Bob Fosse is much more
subtle and dignified with his movements, Beyonc fuses Fosse with a hip-hop, urban flare
making her routines more digestible for audiences of today. (Boles, D. 2009), For in her
betrayal, we are shown the true beauty of his original and everlasting, human, aesthetic The
benefit of artists like Jackson and Beyonc, is that they have modernised the works of a
legend. Their star power has brought Fosses work back into the spotlight, meaning todays
generation will grow up and be inspired by Fosses work, just like they did. (Boles, D. 2009)
(Knowles, B. 2007)
Bob Fosse was years ahead of his time, which wasnt a difficult task for him being
identified as a prodigy from a young age. He revolutionised not only the way performers, like
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myself, dance and choreograph, but he also shaped the way directors direct and he was the
first to use what we now call Music Video style cuts and edits (Pendergast, Sara., et al.
2006). His work has left a tremendous imprint on our culture today and it is hard to find
someone who hasnt been inspired by Fosse in some shape or form. People never grow tired
of his work because of the stunning visual aesthetic it emits which is why his routines are
constantly being reworked and his shows consistently being revived around the globe.
Fosses work as an artist is so universally adaptable which is why his work will continue to
develop and forever be changing the shape of our world.

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Bibliography
References:
Boles, David (2009)
http://urbansemiotic.com/2009/03/09/beyonce-grave-robs-bob-fosse/
Date Accessed 02/05/2012
Cutcher, Jenai. (2006)
Bob Fosse: The Library of American choreographers (2006) New York: The
Rosen Publishing Group
Everett, W., Laid, P. (2008)
The Cambridge companion to the musical (2008) 2nd ed. New York:
Cambridge University Press
Fosse, Bob (1969)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llNcOIZ5PQQ
Date Accessed 01/05/2012
Gnzl, Kurt. (2001)
The encylopedia of the musical theatre (2001) 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer
Books
Gottfried, Martin. (2003)
All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse (2003) 2nd ed. New York: Da
Capo Press

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Kenrick, J. (2008)
Musical Theatre: A History (2008). New York: Continuum International
Publishing Group
Knowles, Beyonce (2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNCC7tIcChY&ob=av3e
Date Accessed 01/05/2012
Long, Robert Emmet. (2001)
Broadway, The Golden Years: Jerome Robbins and the great choreographerdirectors: 1940 to the present (2001) New York: The Continuum
International Publishing Group
McQuiston, John T. (1987)
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/24/obituaries/bob-fosse-director-andchoreographer-dies-a-veteran-at-13.html?ref=bobfosse
Date Accessed 01/05/2012
Molotsky, Irvin. (1987)
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/24/obituaries/bob-fosse-director-andchoreographer-dies.html?ref=bobfosse
Date Accessed 01/05/2012
Pendergast, Sara., Pendergast, Tom. (2006)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/fosse_b.html
Date Accessed 01/05/2012

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Further Reading
Articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/24/obituaries/bob-fosse-director-and-choreographer-dies.html

Websites:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/fosse_b.html
http://dance.about.com/od/famousdancers/p/Bob_Fosse.htm
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/bob-fosses-cabaret-remains-culturally-andaesthetically-significant-40-years-later
http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-fosse
Date Accessed 01/05/2012
http://www.fredastaire.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=112&Itemid=109
http://www.mkstage.com/pajamagame/abbott.htm
http://mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000057
http://jeromerobbins.org/about
http://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=nZgNAQAAMAAJ&q=bob+fosse+influence&dq=bob+fosse+influence&hl=en&sa=X&
ei=tvaeT4CfE8X48QPA0NzfDg&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCA
http://www.judiciaryreport.com/beyonce_steals_two_bob_fosse_videos.htm
http://pentacleblogs.org/movetheframe/tag/bob-fosse/
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Date Accessed 02/05/2012

Video Clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs5bnVoZK4Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edxWesOw5pM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvZGl1NqBRc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCaDfIigI3k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-HDIMF344Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sROJkkDyKH8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeaMx5DnjHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNCC7tIcChY&ob=av2e
http://chuvaness.livejournal.com/634582.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw-GiqnI0I8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-SlfHHd3qI
Date Accessed 01/05/2012

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