by Xiang Xiang Liew

Created on: February 16, 2010

Currently, most common definitions of the modern American musical state that the musical is an unique art form involving the holistic integration of story, song, and dance. In the early days of musical theatre, however, dance was merely decorative. Moreover, most musical theatre dancers were female, some of whom did not even have proper training, used only for their physical charms in order to attract male viewers. According to Clive Elliott, it once used to be standard practice to insert a dance routine, most often a kick line by the chorus girls, whenever the audience’s interest in the show seemed to be sagging.

Julian Mitchell (1854 – 1926) was the first of a long line of choreographers (then called “dance directors”), who began a change in both work etiquette and the general attitude towards dance in musical theatre, at a time where discipline in theatre was notoriously lax. Even though his choreography was rather simple, it required training to be able to pull the steps off. Through this, he slowly eliminated the idea of the female dancer as merely being an object of sexual fetishism. He was very strict with his dancers, and worked hard to instill a sense of discipline and professionalism in them. Mitchell, arguably the first notable director/choreographer on Broadway, started out his career as a call boy at Niblo’s Garden, before becoming a dancer. Unfortunately, he slowly started to lose his hearing, which forced him to give up his dancing career. It did not, however, stop him from becoming a very capable director and choreographer. He worked by feeling the rhythm of the music and his dancers merely through the vibrations through the piano and the dance floor. He choreographed many Weber and Fields musicals, including The Wizard of Oz, Babes in Toyland, The Pink Lady, and nine editions of Ziegfield Follies. He was famous for giving every single ensemble member a chance to shine in his choreography, and is credited with the invention of the “production number”. Together with Ziegfield, he defined the Broadway musical revue. After a long, fulfilling career in which he worked on more than 75 Broadway musicals, Mitchell died while working as assistant director on Ziegfeld’s No Foolin’, on the show’s opening night.

His contemporary, Ned Wayburn (1874 – 1942), who also worked closely with Ziegfield on many productions, is credited with quite a number of innovations in musical theatre. He played

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