Let’s talk about the “male gaze”

While Fosse’s signature style forever changed the landscape of commercial dance in ways that still influence choreographers today, his productions impact social constructs beyond choreographic artistry and innovation. While the slinky, sexual movements that characterize his choreography drew audiences and spoke to a larger desire for sexual freedom in American society during that time, his sultry focus perpetuated the power of the male gaze in the entertainment culture.

In “What are you Looking at? The complication of the Male Gaze in Fin de Siecle Cancan and Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity“, Jenn Ariadne examines the cancan dancers Jane Avril and Louise Weber as well as Fosse’s number “Big Spender” to extrapolate the ways in which contemporary audiences interact with these historic pieces out of context, and how this interaction may give preference to the male gaze which affects women’s ability to be seen and treated as equals in society. While it is a long read, the article published in the Journal of Dance Education makes interesting conclusions about the effects the presentation of women in Fosse’s choreography has on contemporary women and their relationship to the male gaze.

The article link above takes you to the article’s homepage where access can be purchased, but you can also access the article through the IU Library.

Let’s talk about Fosse

The musical Fosse opened in 1999, in New York. This musical was actually made in tribute to the legend of a choreographer, and follows his life and career by including choreography from many of his most famous shows- including The Pajama Game, Redhead, Sweet Charity, and Chicago.

You can find the original cast recording here.

Ben Brantley published his review of the show on January 15, 1999 in the NY Times. The review is glowing, to say the least. As Brantley concludes the article, he testifies that
“Watching Fosse is something like looking at an album of glossy, uncaptioned photographs. The pictures are arresting and beautifully composed. But it takes your own memories of what they represent to animate those scenes with the sorcery they once possessed; otherwise, they’re just pictures. ” This interesting closing both attests to the beauty of the musical but warns the viewer that coming into the performance with a knowledge of Fosse’s work is critical for the full experience.

Let’s talk about People Magazine

While Fosse was influenced by many leading dancers of the time- like Jack Cole and Jerome Robbins- his love life also influenced his choreography. Fosse was married three times, all to dancers he was working with. First came Mary Anne Niles. Mary was his first dance partners, and they premiered together in Call Me Mister. The marriage only lasted for two years, from 1949 to 1951.

Fosse met his next wife in 1949, an actress and dancer named Joan McCracken. His first marriage actually ended because of his relationship with McCracken, but this marriage was doomed for a similar fate. Despite their romantic demise, McCracken played a major role in Fosse’s choreography and career. McCracken actually convinced Fosse he was too good just for nightclubs, and because of her praise Abbott was convinced to hire Fosse as the choreographer for The Pajama Game. However, McCracken was diagnosed with diabetes as a teen, and fell sick partly due to lack of knowledge surrounding the disease at the time but also due to her poor diet and unhealthy habits. While she was sick, Fosse started choreographing for Damn Yankees, where he fell for the lead dancer, Gwen Verdon.

Gwen Verdon is revered as one of the most celebrated Broadway dancers in history. Her flaming red hair made her easily recognizable, and she brought high standards of technique as well as comedy to her dancing. She had just won her first tony when she started working with Fosse in Damn Yankees, and as a new rising star she was the perfect candidate for Fosse’s new muse. Both dancers had high standards for their art, and the two fit together like a puzzle- Vernon enhancing Fosse’s intricate choreography with an uninhibited performance quality that Fosse never felt he had. Vernon starred in the 1959 musical Redhead,on the condition that Fosse directed and choreographed. They eloped in 1960 and had a daughter, Nicole, and while the two supported each other artistically they habitually had sexual relationships outside of the marriage.

Let’s Talk about “Rich Man’s Frug”

My junior year of high school, my dance team competed with a number derived from Fosse’s “Rich Man’s Frug” chorus number featured in Sweet Charity. My choreographer and jazz teacher used the opportunity to delve into some dance history, and we studied Fosse for the entire season. We spent hours upon hours working on our “egg hands” so that all 8 dancers would showcase complete synchronicity in respect for the extreme attention to detail showcased in Fosse’s choreography.

Studying “Rich Man’s Frug” and Bob Fosse’s choreography in high school had me falling head over heels in love with jazz. My appreciation for gestures grew, an affinity I observe in my own choreographic tendencies today. The work also grew my ability to quickly navigate choreography with an eye for the smallest detail. I had not previously been exposed to such a specific and relevant piece of dance history in my own practice, and I loved being able to connect stylistic choices I had encountered in other choreography to Fosse’s influence. I think it will forever be one of the favorite pieces I ever performed!

Let’s talk about why it matters

Many might claim that Fosse’s work is timeless. His Broadway shows continue their tours into the present, in fact, Chicago was performed in the IU Auditorium just last semester!

While Chicago may be one of the most popular, Fosse premiered groundbreaking works beginning in 1945 with his first full choreographed show, “The Pajama Game.” While the show was directed by Abbott, Fosse’s distinct style made it’s debut. Today, audiences can recognize some of his trademarks in the choreography, from hip thrusts to hunched shoulders, use of parallel and turn in, shoulder rolls, articulate hand gestures and broken wrists, and characterization suggestive of vaudeville. Fosse was awarded his first Tony for “The Pajama Game,” and there were many to come.

His next musical was “Damn Yankees,” after which his films Sweet Charity and Cabaret also received raving reviews. Fosse also choreographed “Pippin” which was performed last semester in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. You might have seen other Fosse films like All that Jazz. Fosse became the first artist to win awards in stage, film, and television for his choreography and his direction. Here is an excellent article written in 1973 about Fosse before he won the Emmy that made him the first person to win all three.

You can find a full list of Fosse’s Broadway credits here.

Fosse’s choreography evidenced the search for sexual freedom that characterized America during that time. While Fosse’s background may have disposed him to this style, he understood what the people wanted to see, and was wildly successful in it. As opposed to concert artists of his time, his entertaining and sometimes shocking choreography was highly commercial and spoke to the redirection of dance as entertainment. The 1972 film Cabaret was based off of stories of Pre-Weimer Germany, and pictures from the film appeared in major magazines like TIMEand Newsweek. Fosse played cleverly into the cultural cues of the time to become one of the most influential commercial choreographers of all time.

It is also important to note Fosse’s contribution to film. While he choreographed for dance film, his direction also revolutionized the way that dance and movement was filmed. Previously, dance had only been filmed from the front or from overhead, but Fosse introduced used jump cuts and new perspective shots while filming and editing Sweet Charity. These techniques would later become standard practice.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/bob-fosse/

https://blog.oup.com/2018/06/innovation-influence-films-bob-fosse/

Let’s talk about influences, training, and collaborators.

You may have seen commercials for the new FX series, Fosse/Verdon.

The show seems to be a passionate drama that follows the complicated relationship between the pair while documenting the iconic work they created, both on the stage and the screen. If you’re planning on taking a look, you might want to dive into a little of Fosse’s background so you can truly appreciate the show.

For those of us representing the Midwest, you will be pleased to hear that Fosse was actually born in Chicago, IL- only a few hours from our little town of Bloomington. His full name is Robert Louis Fosse, and he was born on the 23 of July, 1927. Like many artists, his artistry was nurtured by his parents, as he was the son of a vaudevillian. He was one of six children, and although he struggled with many health programs his talents in dance were recognized early on and he was enrolled in formal lessons. He started dancing professionally at the early of of 13, in vaudeville and burlesque shows at local nightclubs. This sexually free atmosphere heavily influenced his style as a dancer and eventually as a choreographer as his style is often recognized through its subtle, yet highly sexual and quirky characteristics. 

In 1945, Fosse enlisted in the Navy, but as V-Day was declared shortly thereafter he served only his two years before returning home and then moving to New York. 

Fosse became widely recognized as a dancer after his appearance in the musical film, “Kiss Me, Kate.” Jerome Robbins and George Abbott took interest, and acted as mentors as he began to choreograph. You can also observe remnants of Broadway choreographer Jack Cole on Fosse’s distinct style, and Fosse’s taste in design- including slim black costumes, white gloves, and hats- speak to Charlie Chaplain. Other influences on his choreographic choices also include Micheal Kidd and his competitive relationship with Micheal Bennett. As Fosse also began his dance training with tap, Fred Astaire also held influence over Fosse’s work.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/bob-fosse/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Fosse

Miller, Ray. “Big Deal: Bob Fosse and Dance in the American Musical.” Dance Research Journal, vol. 50, no. 3, Dec. 2018, pp. 123–126. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=133666611&site=eds-live&scope=site.