How Has Bob Fosse Changed The World

“Don’t dance for the audience; dance for yourself.” Bob Fosse is the man responsible for single-handedly changing the world of jazz dance. Through his use of adult humor, dark stories, and jazz hands, his style has influenced many aspects of life. Whether it is in the music one listens to, choreography one learns, or even musicals one watches, it is clear to see that Fosse has changed the world with his legendary dancing. Robert Louis Fosse, nicknamed Bob Fosse, was born on June 23, 1927, in Chicago, Illinois. Being the youngest of six kids, he often fought for the attention of his parents. He realized that by dancing, he could win his parents over. He attended many dance schools as a child where he heavily gravitated towards tap. He started

Even though this was his first fully choreographed show, The Pajama Game was an instant success. It also was the first famous introduction of Fosse’s iconic choreography. Fosse would often use very sexually provocative dance moves that were not always appreciated. Having been dancing in nightclubs and burlesque shows at such a young age, he saw these intimate dance moves as normal and used them to really put a unique spin on his choreography. His dancers would almost always wear all black with gloves and bowler hats. He wanted them to resemble Charlie Chaplin, which was one of his big inspirations. It is clear to see that Fosse was inspired by him as he uses subtle comedy with his dancers to get laughs from the audiences. Fosse was on a roll being the choreographer for many different directors. However, he soon realized that this wasn’t what he wanted as he was always told by the directors to tone down the controversial dances and the sexual themes. He decided that in order to have the freedom he wanted to create his style, he would have to become the director as well as the choreographer. From that moment on, he went on to direct stage productions, tv specials, shorts, and movies. Some of his shows are still being done today, like All that Jazz, Cabaret, As well as Sweet