Early Career
Began his career as a dancer for Jack Cole, Gower Champion and Michael Bennett. Appeared on stage with such theater luminaries as; Dorothy Lamour, Howard Keel, Anna Marie Albergehtti, Christopher Walken, Van Johnson, John Raitt, James Earl Jones, Len Cariou, Betty Buckley, Donald O'Connor, Jean Pierre Aumont, Dorothy Collins, José Ferrer, Mimi Hines, Robert Alda, Murray Matheson, Hiram Sherman and Giorgio Tozzi among others. He was also a director and choreographer; his list of credits productions for the Off Broadway NY stage includes:, Dance on a Country Grave which starred Kevin Kline and Donna Theadore, Unsung Cole (Anita Morris, Maureen Moore, John Sloman), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Nathan Lane, John Goodman and Dann Florek, Christopher Guest); the Off Broadway revivals of the Frank Loesser musical Where's Charley? starring Marin Mazzie, Virginia Siedel and Charles Abbott; Wonderful Town; Show me Where the Good Times Are with Rosalind Kind, also, Clint Ballard's The Red Bluegrass Western Flyer Show; I Can't Keep Running in Place (associate choreographer with Baayork Lee) starring Marcia Rodd; The Chicago Company of Stephen Sondheim's Follies; national tours of Gigi (Jean Pierre Aumont), The Robber Bridegroom (John Goodman), The Pajama Game (Elizabeth Allen), Man of La Mancha (Jack Cassidy; Howard Keel companies); the all star production of the George Abbott play, Broadway (Gilda Radner, Teri Garr, William Atherton, Chris Sarandon, Jill O'Hara), which Mr. Abbott supervised, the Chicago Company of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies; Cole Porter's The Rise and Fall of the World, Do I Hear A Waltz? (Patricia Morrison and Mitchell Gregg) are among many other productions. On television, among his earlier musical staging assignments, he also worked as choreographer for NBC's television show, Saturday Night Live with the Original 'Not For Ready Prime Time Players' Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray; and such guests hosts such as Steve Martin, Ray Charles; among others. As well as choreographer for HBO, ABC and NBC television specials. Dennis was also director and choreographer for numerous club acts for Carol Lawrence as well as the highly successful production of Together Again starring Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence in New York, Atlantic City, Las Vegas as well as on tour in Canada.
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Famous quotes containing the words early and/or career:
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