Margo Sappington

Margo Sappington (born July 30, 1947 in Baytown, Texas) is an American choreographer and dancer. [1] [2] She was nominated in 1975 for both a Tony Award as Best Choreographer and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work on the play Where's Charley?. In 1988, her ballet Virgin Forest was the subject of an award-winning documentary by PBS. In 2005 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for choreography from the Joffrey Ballet.

Career

Sappington joined the Joffrey Ballet in 1965 at the personal invitation of founder Robert Joffrey. [1] In 1969 she co-wrote, choreographed, and performed in the original off-Broadway revue Oh! Calcutta! ,[3] and in 1971 choreographed Weewis, her first ballet. [1] [2] [4] In 1975, in recognition of her work in the Broadway revival of the play Where's Charley?, she received nominations for both a Tony Award for Best Choreographer [5] and a Drama Desk Award [6] for Outstanding Choreography. [7] In 1983, as the first American choreographer working with Beijing's Central Ballet of China, Sappington created their ballet Heliotrope.[4] In 1988, her ballet Virgin Forest, inspired by Henri Rousseau's jungle paintings, was created for the Milwaukee Ballet [8] [9] [10] and was the subject of an award-winning documentary by PBS.[1][4] In 1993, as a section of the Joffrey's evening-length performance Billboards, she created and danced in Slide, as scored by musician Prince. [2] [4] [11]

In 2001, with the participation of the group The Indigo Girls, Sappington created a piece called The Indigo Girls Project for the Atlanta Ballet. [12] In 2005, for Charles Strouse's Real Men at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, she created and danced a role in the premiere. [1] Also in 2005, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to her by the Joffrey Ballet in recognition of her service to the arts. [4] [13] In 2007 Sappington created a ballet called Common People, set to William Shatner's album, Has Been, which was performed by the Milwaukee Ballet. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Shatner attended the premiere and filmed the event, footage of which became Gonzo Ballet, a feature film to be released in 2009. [14] [15] [16] [19]

In the United States, her choreography has been used by companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Carolina Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, the Houston Ballet, the Harkness Ballet, the Milwaukee Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Pennsylvania Ballet, and internationally by companies including Aterballetto and Nederlands Dans Theater.[2][4] She has also choreographed for many opera productions, including Aida, Samson and Delilah, and La Gioconda for the San Francisco Opera.[11]

Performer

Choreography

Film and Television

Awards & nominations

References
  1. "Margo Sappington - timeline of events and productions". biography. Big Screen Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  2. Ostlere, Hilary (December 1995). "Dancing at their own risk - Margo Sappington and ballerina from New York City Ballet establish own dance company". Dance Magazine. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  3. "Margo Sappington performances and productions". Broadway World. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  4. "Margo Stappington biography". Dance Conservatory of New York. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  5. "1975 Tony Award Winners: Choreographer nominations". Broadway World. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  6. "1974-1975 21st Drama Desk Awards: Nominations for outstanding choreography". Drama Desk. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  7. "Margo Sappington awards and nominations". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  8. Strini, Tom (February 11, 1996). "Local dancer Johnson admits that ballet is a personal stretch". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  9. Berdes, Beth (February 1, 1996). "Milwaukee Ballet.(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)". Dance Magazine. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  10. Strini, Tom. "Milwaukee Ballet's versatility is enchanting From classic Balanchine to cool Sappington, this performance delights". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  11. "Margo Sappington filmography". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  12. "Atlanta Ballet". Georgia Public Broadcasting. September 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  13. Perron, Wendy (May 2005). "The Joffrey School". Dance Magazine. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  14. Wynn, Ron (February 11, 2009). "Shatner beaming down to Nashville Film Festival". The City Paper. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  15. "Big Screen Entertainment Group and William Shatner to Walk the Red Carpet at Nashville International Film Festival". CNN Money. February 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  16. Paulson, Dave (February 11, 2009). "William Shatner will bring documentary to Nashville film fest: Star's movie tracks creation of a ballet". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  17. Strini, Tom (February 11, 2007). "Dance camp; Ballet set to Shatner's CD". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  18. "Margo in Milwaukee". Dance Magazine. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  19. Ridley, Jim (February 11, 2009). "Peter Fonda, William Shatner ballet (!) among 2009 Nashville Film Festival lineup". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
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