Daniel Ezralow (born 22 September 1956) is an artistic director, choreographer, dancer, writer, and performer. He is known for his work in theater, film, opera, and television. His approach, style of physical expression, freedom of spirit and articulate athletic vocabulary have earned him an international reputation. [1] He is the artistic director and founder of Ezralow Dance, a movement based ensemble and the creative home for Ezralow's body of work.
Ezralow studied dance at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976. He began as a dancer with the dance companies 5X2 Plus, Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor, and Pilobolus. He was one of the original dancer-choreographers of MOMIX and is a founding member of ISO Dance. [2] In The New York Times review in 1986, the reviewer noted that "Daniel Ezralow is an unforgettably gutsy and intelligent virtuoso dancer." [3]
He has created original works for, among others, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, and the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE. [4] His company, the Daniel Ezralow Dance Company performed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, Israel, in the 2008-09 season. [5] In a review of his work Super Straight is coming down by the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 1989, the reviewer wrote that it is a "coldly tormented work", and that "Ezralow has put his own manic stamp on the piece –the headlong barrel turns, the galumphing leaps, the desperate floor rolls –and has potently contrasted such excesses with moments of sullen stillness." [6]
His works for opera include The Flying Dutchman, for the Los Angeles and Houston Opera Companies, Maggio Musicale’s Aida with Zubin Mehta as conductor, and the Paris Opera Ballet. He also choreographs for advertising campaigns including The GAP, Issey Miyake, and Hugo Boss. [2]
For theater he choreographed The Green Bird on Broadway in 2000 and Cats in Italy in 2009 for Compagnia della Rancia. He was the choreographer and aerial choreographer for the Broadway show musical adaptation of the Spider-Man comics, working with director Julie Taymor, in 2011.
In 2014 he choreographed the opening ceremony for the Sochi Olympics. [7] In 2016 Ezralow toured with his dance company, Ezralow Dance, throughout America including dates at the Prince Theater and the Wallis Annenberg Center. [8] He returned to the Annenberg later in 2017. Ezralow collaborated with Katy Perry and Skip Marley on the 59th Grammy awards, where Perry debuted her song "Chained to the Rhythm".
In 1999 Ezralow married Arabella Holzbog, the daughter of Thomas Jerald Holzbog, an architect, and they have two Children. [9]
Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.
Lar Lubovitch is an American choreographer. He founded his own dance company, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 1968. Based in New York City, the company has performed in all 50 American states as well as in more than 30 countries. As of 2005, he had choreographed more than 100 dances for the company. In addition to the company, Lubovitch has also done creative work in ballet, ice-skating venues, and musical theater, notably Into the Woods. He has played a key role in raising funds to fight AIDS.
Deborah Colker is a Brazilian writer, theater director, dancer and choreographer. She was an awardee of the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Colker was also the movement director and choreographer of the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
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Moses Pendleton is a choreographer, dancer and the artistic director of MOMIX. MOMIX is a dance company that he formed in 1981 as an offshoot of the Pilobolus, which he had co-founded while a senior at Dartmouth College in 1971. He remained a full-time member with the company until 1980. He choreographs dance sculptures that bring together acrobatics, gymnastics, mime, props, and film.
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Samantha Jo "Mandy" Moore is an American choreographer, dancer, producer, and dance instructor. She is known for her work on the United States reality television series So You Think You Can Dance, having appeared on the show every year since the third season, and Dancing with the Stars. She choreographed the 2016 film La La Land and has also worked on commercials and various musical productions such as Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. She has created dance numbers for the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and Grammy Awards ceremonies. She has been nominated seven times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, winning in 2017 for her work on Dancing with the Stars, in 2018 for her work on So You Think You Can Dance, and in 2020 for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.
Vincent Paterson is an American director and choreographer who has had an expansive career in many parts of the entertainment industry including film, Broadway, concert tours, opera, music videos, television and commercials. He has achieved success worldwide as a director and choreographer.
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Dave Pierce is a Canadian songwriter, composer, producer, and arranger. He was the music director for the opening, closing, and victory ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, for which he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction in 2010. He was also the arranger for Twyla Tharp’s Frank Sinatra musical Come Fly Away, which opened in March of 2010 in New York at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway and later that year as Sinatra Dance With Me at the Wynn Las Vegas. Additionally, Peirce was the music director of the Calgary Stampede Evening Grandstand Show and the 2009 Gemini Awards television show in Canada. He is the father of two daughters.
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Jonathan Stuart Cerullo is an American director and choreographer, executive producer, and former performer. Cerullo is known for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. He has also worked in circus, film, and television.
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