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Applying Choreographic Principles to Theatrical Storytelling: One Dancer’s Leap into Musical Theatre Directing

This paper looks critically at how the acquisition of choreographic competency through dance training might provide theatre directors with an advantageous perspective on production by foregrounding the intersection of movement, text, and other production elements. The author uses the stories of successful “masters” of the craft who have made transitions from choreographer to director including Bob Fosse, Susan Stroman, Tommy Tune, and Jerome Robbins as a way to ground his analysis. Additionally, he provides his own reflective appraisal of personal directing experiences (Carrie the Musical, Nijinsky’s Last Dance) to argue that choreographic training and experience can do much to enhance traditional storytelling in theatre, even in shows that move rely less on traditional dance and more on “staging” of movement within a musical narrative.

Kevin S. Warner

Kevin S. Warner is Professor of Dance Studies and former Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where he teaches courses in dance pedagogy and world dance, among others. Previously, he was chair of the Department of Dance and director of the Interdisciplinary Arts for Children Program at SUNY Brockport. Kevin earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Temple University. He serves as Vice President of Professional Development for the North Carolina Dance Education Organization and as a visiting evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Dance.

Kevin has performed in over 100 productions nationally. He has directed shows including The King and I, Carrie the Musical, and Nijinsky's Last Dance, choreographed productions including The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Music Man, and has appeared on cruise ships, on television, and in film. Kevin also choreographs for concert dance.

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