Paul Harris (choreographer)

Last updated

Paul Harris
Born
St. Helens, England
Occupation(s)Choreographer
dance teacher
movement Director
Website paulharrisdance.com

Paul Harris is an English choreographer, dance teacher and movement director in film, television and theatre. [1]

Contents

His notable works include the famous laser scenes for Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie Entrapment , the BAFTA Award-winning Bleak House and the wand fight sequences in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . An interactive hologram of Harris is a permanent feature of the Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden where Harris is described by Warner Bros. as being "the world's only wand combat choreographer". [2] [3]

In the theatre, he choreographed the 50th-anniversary production of John Osborne's The Entertainer at London's Old Vic. He is also an author of dance books, having written Salsa and Merengue – The Essential Step by Step Guide and several dance syllabi for British awarding bodies in dance. Harris is an acknowledged authority and leading choreographer [4] in historical dance, period dance, tango, salsa, swing dance, ballroom dancing, Latin American dancing and theatre dance. He is the winner of the 2008 Carl Alan Award for choreography. [5]

Early career

Born in St Helens, Harris began dancing at the age of eight and as a dancer, was a successful Juvenile and Junior competitor in ballroom dancing. He won the British Open Championships at the Blackpool Dance Festival in both Ballroom and Latin American dancing, as well becoming 3 times English Champion, United Kingdom, International and West European Champion and placing in the first 3 of every major competition, including the World Championship as an adult.

On turning professional, he studied jazz dance, tap dancing, historical dance and classical ballet and won the British Exhibition (Theatre Arts) title. He retired from competitive dancing to study acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London and on graduating, he played leading roles in British television and theatre, including major national tours of three West End productions. His roles during this period included A-Rab in West Side Story , Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird , Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , William H. Bonney in Billy The Kid , Scranton Slim in Guys and Dolls and Catsmeat in Snow White with the late Marti Caine.

In the 1990s, he played a role as a Latin American dance champion on the BBC television drama Casualty , for which he choreographed the dance sequences himself. This was spotted by a leading UK dance agent and led to his career in choreography. [6]

As a choreographer

In 1997, Harris was asked to look at a script for a British movie with a view to choreographing the dance sequences. Following a single conversation with the director, he realised that combining his two backgrounds of dancing and acting was the direction in which he should take his career. Since then, Paul Harris has become one of the UK's most prolific choreographers and dance instructors in film and television. [1] [4] He has also been responsible for the choreography on several big budget movies, including Entrapment , Inkheart , The Other Boleyn Girl , Far From The Madding Crowd, Crooked House and he created the physical language and choreography for the wand-to-wand combat sequences in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . [7]

Harris has also choreographed many of British television's most highly acclaimed, award-winning dramas of the last decade including Bleak House , The Way We Live Now , To the Ends of the Earth , Jane Eyre , Poirot , A Touch of Frost , William and Mary and six years as the choreographer for the hit UK comedy My Family starring Robert Lindsay. This led to Lindsay requesting that Harris be the choreographer of the 2007 critically acclaimed revival of John Osborne's The Entertainer . Other notable credits in theatre include being the choreographer of "Liberty", the first co-production of Shakespeare's Globe theatre [8] and being a guest dance tutor for the Royal Shakespeare Company on Two Gentlemen of Verona , as well as choreographing productions such as A Family Affair , The Rivals , As You Like It and David Copperfield . He has continued to choreograph for television during this time, including dramas like Lost in Austen, Da Vinci's Demons and Call The Midwife.

Harris co-choreographed Disney's The Cheetah Girls 2 with its director Kenny Ortega, having been brought in at Ortega's request, specifically to choreograph the tango sequence which was shot in Barcelona. The tango Harris choreographed, was described by Ortega in a Dcom Extra interview, as "the most exciting and demanding dance sequence he had ever shot". Other notable directors he has worked with are Jon Amiel and David Yates, with whom Harris has worked four times. [9] Among the notable actors Harris has created choreography for are Catherine Zeta-Jones, Scarlett Johansson, Gary Oldman, Sam Neill, Natalie Portman, Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.

Teaching

As a dance teacher, Harris has devised the dance module of the BA Hons (Acting) and MA (Acting)at four London drama schools. He is a dance tutor at The Actors Center in London and teaches dance at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (University of London), Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts (University of East Anglia) and the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts (University of East London). He was the main dance coach in the "Kick boxer to Dancer" episode of the BAFTA-award-winning Faking It and he has coached and choreographed for world champions in showdance, salsa, ballroom dancing and Argentine tango including several of the professional dance teachers from British television's Strictly Come Dancing on which he has appeared.

Harris is a Fellow and Examiner of the United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing (UKA), as well as an Honorary member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD). He also teaches internationally, particularly in South East Asia, [10] where he has helped to develop dance in the Philippines, [11] Indonesia and Thailand. In recognition of this work, Harris was made an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Philippine Professional Dance Teachers Association and he has appeared on as a guest dance expert on television in England and in Asia, to discuss choreography and dance styles as diverse as salsa, Argentine tango, Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, historical dance and dancesport [12]

He has adjudicated at many international dance championships, including the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival [13] and he is a licensed adjudicator with both the World DanceSport Federation and the World Dance Council [14]

Salsa and Merengue – The Essential Step by Step Guide was written by Paul Harris and published in 1998. [15] It is considered a definitive work of its kind in the dance industry and is the basis of the syllabi Harris has written in merengue, salsa and mambo, for the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA), [16] the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD), the National Association of Teachers of Dancing (NATD) and the United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing (UKA). [17] The book played a pivotal role in the history of salsa in the UK [18] particularly in the formation of the (then) new Club Dance Division of the UKA. This development, for the first time, enabled teachers of salsa in Britain, to gain a recognised professional teaching qualification. [19] In addition to this, Harris wrote the UKA's course guide for drama schools in 19th & 20th century social dance and co-founded their historical dance Faculty.

In 1996, Paul Harris founded London Theatre of Ballroom, during which they enjoyed a critically acclaimed six-month run at London's Café de Paris. They are dedicated to preserving and progressing ballroom dancing as performing art and their repertoire, choreographed entirely by Paul Harris, consists of shows based on swing dance, tango, Latin dancing, vintage dance and American smooth (Hollywood style partner dancing). They remain Britain's only ballroom based dance/theatre company. [20]

Works

Television dramas and films

YearTypeTitleProductionDirector
2018FilmPatrick Disney Mandie Fletcher
2017TV Drama The Halycon ITV Stephen Woolfenden
2016Film Crooked House Sony Gilles Paquet-Brenner
2015TV Comedy Catherine Tate's Nan ITV Geoff Posner
2014TV Drama The Great Fire ITV Jonathan Jones
2014Film Far From The Madding Crowd Fox Searchlight Thomas Vinterberg
2013TV Drama Da Vinci's Demons BBC / Starz US David S. Goyer
2013TV Drama Call The Midwife BBC Juliet May
2012TV Drama The Paradise BBC David Drury
2011TV Drama Great Expectations BBC Brian Kirk
2011TV Drama South Riding BBC Diarmuid Lawrence
2009TV Drama Desperate Romantics BBC Diarmuid Lawrence
2009TV Drama Emma BBC Jim O'Hanlon
2008Film Inkheart New Line Cinema Iain Softley
2008TV Dramas Lost in Austen ITV Dan Zeff
2008TV Dramas Little Dorrit BBC Dearbhla Walsh
2008TV Dramas Miss Austen Regrets BBC Jeremy Lovering
2007Film Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix Warner Bros. David Yates
2008Film The Other Boleyn Girl Sony Pictures Justin Chadwick
2007Film Mister Lonely O'Salvation Films Harmony Korine
2007Film Love and Other Disasters Skyline / Ruby Films Alek Keshishian
2007TV Dramas Sense and Sensibility BBC John Alexander
2006Film Cheetah Girls 2 Disney Kenny Ortega
2006TV Dramas Jane Eyre BBC Susanna White
2005TV Dramas Bleak House (BAFTA Winner 2006) BBC Justin Chadwick / S. White
2005TV Dramas To the Ends of the Earth BBC David Attwood
2005TV Dramas Poirot Granada Hettie MacDonald
2004TV DramasThe Quest II YTV David Jason
2003TV Dramas A Touch of Frost YTV Roger Bamford
2003TV Dramas William and Mary Granada Hettie MacDonald
2002FilmDream ThiefSalad FilmsNicola Levinsky
2001TV Dramas The Way We Live Now (BAFTA Winner 2002) BBC David Yates
2000Film Trick of the Light Zephyr Films / Film 4 Teresa McCann
2000TV Dramas The Sins BBC David Yates
2000TV Dramas My Family (2003–2008) BBC Dewi Humphreys
1999Film Entrapment 20th Century Fox Jon Amiel
1998Film The Tichborne Claimant The Bigger Picture Co. David Yates

TV features, reality shows and appearances

TitleTV NetworkDirector
Harry Potter Studio Tour (Permanent Hologram) Warner Bros. Laura Watson
The Supersizers Go (1920s Dance Consultant) BBC Kate Scholefield
Faking It (mentor) (BAFTA winner 2002 & 2003) Channel 4 Jonathan Smith
Gloria Hunniford's Open House (Salsa Feature) Channel 5 Personal appearance
Granada Reports – Look North (Salsa feature) ITV Personal appearance
11th Hour (Tango and Swing feature) ITV Personal appearance

Theatre

TitleTheatreDirector
The Entertainer Old Vic Sean Holmes
Gaslight (Period Movement Coach) Old Vic Peter Gill
The Importance of Being Ernest Theatre Royal Bath Peter Gill
LibertyGlobeGuy Retallack
Romeo and Juliet Oxford Shakespeare Co.Guy Retallack
Two Gentlemen of Verona (Dance Coach)Royal Shakespeare Co.Fiona Buffini
Flight of the Swan (Movement Coach)Royal Opera House (Linbury)Rob Swain
A Family Affair Theatre Royal Bath No.1 Tour Andy De La Tour
WallfloweringNational TourJennie Darnell
Tommy Royal Academy of Music Guy Retallack
A Christmas Carol Bridge House TheatreGuy Retallack
As You Like It CentralMartin Wylde
Redemption Over Hammersmith Broadway LAMDA Max Key
Jerusalem [ clarification needed ] Mountview Max Key
Dancing at Lughnasa Mountview Andrew Jarvis
The Rivals Mountview Glen Walford
The American Clock Mountview Sean McLevy
David Copperfield ALRA Stuart Wood
Mill on the Floss ALRA Janette Smith
Erpingham Camp ALRA Finetime Fontayne

Commercials and music videos

TitleProductionDirector
My Name (McLean) Atlantic Records Nick Bartleet
Grease is the WordITV CreativeSimon Mitchell
Trafalgar Square Big Dance British Tourist Authority Michael Geigan

Stage and trade shows

YearTitleProductionDirector
2004Fox Promotional Screen Test at Cannes Film Festival 20th Century Fox and Stella Artois Geraldine Maloney
2002London Boat ShowSealinePaul Harris
1999London Boat ShowSealinePaul Harris
1998–2006Miss Philippine Alfanti ProductionsPaul Harris
1997Miss ChinaCNEPeter Chen
The Delfont AwardsGrosvenor ProductionsAlex Clayton
The Half MontyInch High ProductionsPaul Harris and Warwick Davis

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballroom dance</span> Set of partner dances

Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninette de Valois</span> Irish-born British dancer (1898–2001)

Dame Ninette de Valois was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, later establishing the Royal Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century and one of the leading ballet companies in the world. She also established the Royal Ballet School and the touring company which became the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet and as the "godmother" of English and Irish ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round dance</span> Type of ballroom dance

Modern social round dance, or round dancing, is a choreographed and cued ballroom dance that progresses in a circular counter-clockwise pattern around the dance floor. The two major categories of ballroom dances found in round dancing are the smooth and international ballroom styles and the Latin dances. It is not to be confused with circle dancing, which is a type of folk dance in which dancers are connected in a circular chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Dance Teachers Association</span>

The International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) is a dance teaching and examination board based in Brighton, England. Operating internationally, the IDTA currently has over 7,000 members in 55 countries. The IDTA is recognised by the national qualifications regulators in England and Wales, Ofqual and the Council for Dance Education and Training, and is also affiliated to the British Dance Council, the Central Council of Physical Recreation and the Theatre Dance Council International. The IDTA works in partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance. The IDTA publishes a print and online magazine for members titled Dance International four times a year.

Paul Joseph Mercurio is an Australian actor, choreographer, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom and his role as a judge on TV series Dancing with the Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlene Phillips</span> English choreographer (born 1943)

Dame Arlene Phillips is an English choreographer, talent scout, television judge and presenter, theatre director, and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Stroman</span> American theatre director and choreographer

Susan P. Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include Oklahoma!, The Music Man, Crazy for You, Contact, The Producers, The Frogs, The Scottsboro Boys, Bullets Over Broadway, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, and New York, New York.

Paul Killick is a British professional ballroom dancer and an International Latin American Dance Champion. He appeared in the first two series of the television show Strictly Come Dancing. Killick specialize in Latin dance and has won The World Cup, World Trophy, World Masters, World Series, Universal and British Professional Latin American DanceSport Championships.

Brian L. Friedman is an American dancer and choreographer.

Patricia Mary Sie is an American film and music video director, best known for directing the films Step Up: All In (2014) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), as well as music videos, particularly for the alternative rock band OK Go. She has worked in film, television, commercials, music videos, stage, children's entertainment and ballroom DanceSport.

Nelson Batista is a Cuban salsa dancer.

Alexandre Magno is a Brazilian born choreographer and director. His dance styles include hip-hop, jazz, ballet, samba, flamenco, tango, salsa, and martial arts. He has performed with Madonna, Yanni, Britney Spears, the Lido La Tourné, Ballet Hispanico, the Ringling Brothers Circus, and the Academy Awards. He also works with his own dance company, “Personna Dance Theatre".

Andy Blankenbuehler is an American dancer, choreographer and director primarily for stage and concerts. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography five times, and has won three times: for In the Heights (2008), Hamilton (2016), and Bandstand (2017). Blankenbuehler's other Broadway choreography work includes 9 to 5, Bring it On: The Musical, and the 2016 Cats revival. Blankenbuehler was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018 for his work on Hamilton. He also choreographed the movie adaptation of Cats. Most recently he choreographed, directed and co-wrote Only Gold - a new musical with Music by Kate Nash at MCC Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Bruce</span> British choreographer

Karen Bruce is a choreographer and director who has worked in theatre and television.

Adam Cooper is an English dancer. He works as both a performer and choreographer in musical theatre, and has choreographed and/or starred in award-winning shows such as On Your Toes, Singin' in the Rain and Grand Hotel. He began his professional career as a dancer of classical ballet and contemporary ballet and is a former Principal of the Royal Ballet, a major international ballet company based in London. He became internationally recognised for creating the lead role of Swan/Stranger in Matthew Bourne's contemporary dance production of the ballet Swan Lake, a role that was briefly featured in the 2000 film Billy Elliot, in which Cooper played the adult version of the titular character.

Aaron Sillis is an English dancer and choreographer who has worked in many fields of dance, most notably working with leading international pop artists including Rihanna, Katy Perry, FKA twigs, Justin Bieber, Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey and Leona Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Gattelli</span>

Christopher Gattelli is an American choreographer, performer and theatre director.

Jason Gilkison is an Australian professional ballroom dance champion and choreographer.

Luis Salgado is a Puerto Rican performer, director, choreographer, and producer. His career has led him to Broadway, film, television, and stages around the world. He served as associate director and choreographer of Cirque du Soleil's Paramour that opened April 16, 2019 at the Neue Flora theatre in Hamburg, Germany. He has worked with directors, choreographers and performers such as Andy Blankenbuehler, Jerry Mitchell, Sergio Trujillo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Patrick Dempsey and Diego Luna.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dance coach Paul is a Haydock lad". St Helens Star. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "Warner Bros. Studio Tour London". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "A Celebration Of Harry Potter Returns To Universal Orlando – Coaster Nation". coaster-nation.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Famous Dance Choreographers - A Knowledge Archive". A Knowledge Archive. 30 March 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Interview | Choreograaf Paul Harris". janeausten.nl. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "About Paul Harris". paulharris.uk.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Liberty / Shakespeare's Globe". shakespearesglobe.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Dance coach Paul is a Haydock lad (From St Helens Star)". sthelensstar.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "Edna Ledesma: Grace under pressure | Health And Family, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com". philstar.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "Paul Harris mentors local dance scholars - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". showbizandstyle.inquirer.net. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Video". paulharris.uk.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Scrutelle". scrutelle.info. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Home". wdcdance.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Paul Harris (1999). Salsa and Merengue: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. ISBN   9781850586999.
  16. ↑ "IDTA (Sales) Ltd :: Books :: STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SALSA, MAMBO, MERENGUE BY PAUL HARRIS". idta.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing and Kindred Arts". Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  18. ↑ "Salsa & Merengue Society - A History of Salsa: Resources". Salsa-merengue.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  19. ↑ "Salsa & Merengue Society - A History of Salsa: Salsa in the UK". Salsa-merengue.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  20. ↑ "London Theatre of Ballroom". Londontheatreofballroom.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.