Chuck Cissel | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Charles S. Cissel |
Born | October 3, 1948 |
Origin | Tulsa, Oklahoma, US |
Genres | R&B, soul, disco, jazz, pop |
Occupation(s) | CEO, artistic director, singer, producer, broadway actor, director, choreographer, writer, composer, teacher |
Years active | 1970–present |
Labels | Arista |
Charles Cissel (born October 3, 1948) [1] is an American singer, dancer, director, choreographer and producer. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma, and was one of the first African Americans to graduate from the university's fine arts school. He was the CEO of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame [2] (located in Tulsa) from 2000–2009 and is now its Artistic Director.
In his early 20s Chuck performed on Broadway in Hello Dolly [1] with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway, Purlie , [1] Lost in the Stars , Via Galactica , Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope and as an original member of the Broadway musical A Chorus Line , back when Broadway was starting to open up its doors to African American performers. [3] While in A Chorus Line, Chuck recorded his first record, Swept Away, produced by Michael Bennett, the producer, director, and choreographer of A Chorus Line. Chuck then went on to record solo albums with Arista Records which were called Just for You, featuring the hard-hitting international dance hit Cisselin' Hot [2] and If I Had The Chance. Chuck Cissel is also the brother of former Oklahoma State Senator Maxine Horner, who, along with Oklahoma State Senator Penny Williams, is a co-founder of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for theater and film. Verdon was a critically acclaimed performer on Broadway in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, having originated many roles in musicals, including Lola in Damn Yankees, the title character in Sweet Charity, and Roxie Hart in Chicago.
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The New York Dance Festival is a two week cultural festival of performing arts that starts the 2nd week of July each summer in Auburn and New York City. The Festival is hosted by two of the region’s African American-led performing arts organizations, the Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre and the New York Institute of Dance & Education - NYIDE. The New York Dance Festival includes the New York Summer Dance Intensive, the New York Drum Festival, the New York Musical Theatre Project, the Carmen De Lavallade Awards for Dance, the Thommie Walsh Song & Dance Man Gala, Fellowships, Residencies, and a World Class Concert Series.
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Nathaniel Shaw is an American theatre director, choreographer, and actor. He began his career as a dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and later became the founding and artistic director of The Active Theater in New York. He was Associate Choreographer for the Broadway production and first national tour of Once (musical) In 2015 he became the Development Director for the Tony and Olivier Award-winning producers, Glass Half Full Productions. In July 2016, he became Artistic Director of Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond. In October 2021, Shaw launched The New Theatre, dedicated to advancing artform and industry, with a primary focus on new play development.
Special thanks to original cast member Chuck Cissel and to Barbara Walsh, sister of another original cast member, the late Thommie Walsh, for sharing these photos