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Michael Smuin Biography (1938-)

Born October 13, 1938, in Missoula, MT; son of Harold and Shirley Smuin; married Paula Tracy (a dancer), December, 1961 (divorced, 2000); children: Shane.

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Occupation

Choreographer, director, dancer

Birth Details

October 13, 1938

Missoula, Montana, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Work
• Director, musical stager, and choreographer (with Donald McKayle), Sophisticated Ladies, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, 1981
• Director and choreographer, Chaplin, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, 1983
• Staged dance for Leslie Caron, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Rudolf Nureyev, American Ballet Theatre/Paris Opera Ballet Gala, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, 1986
• Choreographer, Anything Goes, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1987
• Director and choreographer, Canciones de mi padre, Minskoff Theatre, New York City, 1988
• Director and choreographer, James Clavell's Shogun: The Musical, Marquis Theatre, New York City, 1990-1991
• Choreographer, Private Lives, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1992
• Choreographer, Peter and the Wolf, American Ballet Theater, Metropolitan Opera House, 1992
• Also worked as producer, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and A Song for Dead Warriors, all San Francisco Ballet; choreographer, Pulcinella Variations, American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House; and director, Faustus in Hell, American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA.
• Major Tours
• Staged dance and musical numbers, Candide, U.S. cities, 1971
• Choreographer (with Donald McKayle), Sophisticated Ladies, U.S. cities, 1982
• Film Work
• Special choreographer, Rumble Fish, Universal, 1983
• Principal choreographer, The Cotton Club, Orion, 1984
• Technical adviser, The Golden Child, 1986
• Choreographer, Fletch Lives, Universal, 1989
• Choreographer, Dracula (also known as Bram Stoker's Dracula), Columbia, 1992
• Choreographer, So I Married an Axe Murderer, TriStar, 1993
• Choreographer, Angie, Buena Vista, 1994
• Choreographer, A Walk in the Clouds, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995
• Dancing sequence choreographer, A Simple Wish, Universal, 1997
• Choreographer, The Fantasticks, United Artists, 2000
• Television Work
• Episodic
• Choreographer, "The Tempest" (also known as "San Francisco Ballet: The Tempest"), Dance in America--Great Performances (also known as Dancein America), PBS, 1981
• Choreographer, "A Song for Dead Warriors," Dance in America--Great Performances, PBS, 1984
• Choreographer and director, "Cinderella," Dance in America--Great Performances, PBS, 1985
• Also worked as choreographer for "Romeo and Juliet," Dance in America--Great Performances, PBS.
• Specials
• Choreographer, San Francisco Ballet, PBS, 1978
• Choreographer and director of San Francisco Ballet, A Song for Dead Warriors, PBS, 1984
• Director, Jinx, 1985
• Choreographer, "Delgadina," Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution, 1987
• Director, Voice/Dance: Bobby McFerrin and the Tandy Beal Dance Company, 1987
• Creator, The Omo, 1987
• Director and choreographer, Linda Ronstadt's Canciones de mi padre, 1989
• Creative consultant (KQED), Women Song, PBS, 1990
• Stage director and choreographer, Ira Gershwin at 100: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, PBS, 1997
• Also worked on Aid and Comfort.
• Television Appearances
• Specials
• The Creation of Omo, PBS, 1987
• Episodic
• Appeared in Toast of the Town.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

• Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale Research, 1998

Periodicals

• Dance Magazine, March, 1995, p. 80; February, 2000, p. 55

Electronic

• Michael Smuin Official Site, http://www.smuinballets.com, December11, 2002