Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches

13. Bob Fosse’s Jazz Revolution

13 Bob Fosse’s Jazz Revolution Cheryl Mrozowski Robert Louis Fosse—better known to audiences, critics, and scholars of theater and cinema as Bob Fosse—reigned as Broadway’s foremost choreographer /director during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. His musicals spanned three decades: The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), New Girl in Town (1957), Redhead (1959), The Conquering Hero (1961), How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1961), Little Me (1962), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1972), Chicago (1975), and Dancin’ (1978). His style was so distinctive that it could be indisputably identified at a glance. The forward thrust of the hips, the hunched shoulders, the gloved hands, and the turnedin feet were all hallmarks of the Fosse musical. Fosse’s approach to movement was unconventional and highly original, as he would include the same movement in a number only twice and would add unorthodox steps throughout to maintain surprise and spontaneity. These elements often gave his choreography a humorous orientation, which was reflected in his rehearsal process. His work with Gwen Verdon (his lifelong partner and third wife) in “Whatever Lola Wants” from Damn Yankees illustrates this characteristic. During a rehearsal, Verdon had difficulty maintaining her balance in a stalking step and explained to Fosse that it was due to the high heels she was wearing. Fosse arrived at rehearsal the following day and donned a pair of oversized high heels himself, showing her exactly how the step should be done.1 Fosse imparted images to his dancers that gave clarity to their movements and mesmerized audiences. In “Rich Man’s Frug” from Sweet Charity (1966), Fosse instructed the female dancers to be seductive by keeping their chins 97 down and teasing with their eyes.2 This made the dancers’ intentions unmistakable for audiences. It often took performers the entire rehearsal process to acclimate to Fosse’s expectations, as his style gave an exciting edge to movement that appeared easy to execute despite its highly technical requirements. His choreography “called on jumps and lifts from classical ballet, ballroom and character dance, and knee slides, tumbling, and acrobatics from popular entertainment—big full-bodied actions—as well as tap and soft shoe.”3 Fosse’s style, which was dynamic yet reminiscent of everyday movement, depended on the isolation of joints and appendages moving compactly through a restricted space. During the 1930s and 1940s, dance sequences in a Broadway musical were mostly supplemental to the story’s dramatic action and narrative, and they provided a break from the central plot. In 1943 Agnes de Mille revolutionized the Broadway musical with Oklahoma, where choreographic numbers were seamlessly integrated into the plot. Fosse, Jack Cole, and Jerome Robbins utilized this type of hybrid performance, which combined dance and traditionally theatrical story lines.4 Not only did this allow dance to become an integral component of the plot, but it also helped advance the story line. Fosse’s brilliance was apparent in his ability to move smoothly from a scene’s end to a dance number; he heightened the emotions at the end so the dancing and singing would not clash. He accomplished this by first allowing the underscore of the music to introduce the dance as the players finished their dialogue, and then by raising the key in the music and changing tempo to dynamically build the number.5 Fosse was formally trained as a tap dancer. He had some background in ballet, but possessed a limited facility. He adjusted each dancer’s movements so they reflected his own dance strengths and limitations rather than those of the individual dancer. His refusal to choreograph beyond his own physicality allowed him to develop a style based on personal preferences: a bent knee, splayed fingers, percussive isolations, and sharp, jazzy movement were hallmarks of his style. His clever use of props—particularly hats and canes—camouflaged his technical limitations. These habits were widely imitated by other dancers and choreographers, and they made his choreography instantly recognizable. Fosse wrote the first draft of Sweet Charity in 1965 and launched the musical number “Big Spender.” This ensemble piece is set to a burlesque beat and consists of a series of seductive moves, poses, and stances. Sensual and erotic in nature with a pulsating beat, “Big Spender” is one of Fosse’s most visually exciting pieces; it is embedded with stop action, visual accents, and musical 98 · Cheryl Mrozowski percussion that direct the...