Michael Peters (choreographer)

Michael Peters
Portrait by Martha Swope, 1984
(Billy Rose Theatre Division T-VIM 2010-048, New York Public Library)
Born
Michael Douglas Peters

(1948-08-06)August 6, 1948
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 29, 1994(1994-08-29) (aged 46)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Choreographer
  • dancer
  • director
Years active1970s−1994

Michael Douglas Peters (August 6, 1948 – August 29, 1994) was an American choreographer, dancer and director who is best known for his innovative choreography in music videos.

Early years

Michael Peters was born on August 8, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of four, his mother enrolled him in a dance class. Later on, Peters decided he wanted to be a professional dancer after he had watched the original Broadway production of West Side Story. He told the Chicago Tribune: "I came from a housing project in Brooklyn where there were gang wars, and as I watched something I could relate to translated into musical terms, I decided this was something I could do and that I wanted to do."[1]

Peters attended the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan, which he attended for four years. However, he disliked school and never graduated.[2] Instead, Peters learned to dance at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center in Queens.[2]

Career

Peters started his career in modern dance. During the 1960s and 1970s, he worked with Talley Beatty, Alvin Ailey, and Bernice Johnson Reagon among others.[3] In 1979, Peters was the choreographer for the Broadway musical Comin' Uptown, an all-Black version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, which starred Gregory Hines.[4]

Peters choreographed some of the most memorable videos during the 1980s. His most well-known choreography was for Michael Jackson's Thriller music video.[5] Aside from his role as choreographer, Peters portrayed one of the zombies.[6] Peters collaborated with Jackson again for the music video for "Beat It" where Peters played one of two gang leaders.[7] In 1984, Peters was awarded the American Video Award for Best Choreography for "Beat It"[8] and the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography for "Thriller".[2]

In 1982, Peters was the co-recipient of the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Dreamgirls, along with Michael Bennett.[9] He later directed his first Broadway musical Leader of the Pack, which was based on the life and songs of Ellie Greenwich. It premiered at the Ambassador Theatre on April 8, 1985. It closed on July 21, 1985 after 120 performances.[10]

Peters won two Primetime Emmy Awards for the Liberty Weekend 1986 — Closing Ceremonies and The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992).[2]

Death

On August 29, 1994, Peters died at his Los Angeles home from complications of AIDS.[2][3]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ Lavin, Cheryl (September 26, 1993). "Choreographer/director Michael Peters is best known for his..." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Oliver, Myrna (September 1, 1994). "Obituaries: Michael Peters; Helped Create Michael Jackson Videos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Dunning, Jennifer (September 1, 1994). "Michael Peters, a Choreographer Of 'Dreamgirls,' Is Dead at 46". The New York Times. p. D18.
  4. ^ Herr, Walter (December 21, 1979). "Stage: Scrooge Struts In 'Comin' Uptown'". The New York Times. p. C5. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  5. ^ Palumbo, Jacqui; Smith, Gabrielle (December 2, 2023). "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' at 40: How a monster dance became iconic". CNN. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  6. ^ Day, Patrick Kevin; Martens, Todd (February 12, 2008). "25 'Thriller' facts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  7. ^ Bowling, Suzanna (February 6, 2022). "The Choreography of Michael Jackson Michael Peters, Vincent Patterson, Lavelle Smith Jr, Jeffrey Daniel and Travis Payne". Times Square Chronicles. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  8. ^ "This year's AVA winners: No surprises". Chicago Tribune. April 15, 1984. Section 13, p. 38. Retrieved February 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Winners of Tonys". The New York Times. June 8, 1982. p. C11. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  10. ^ "'Leader of the Pack' to Close". The New York Times. July 18, 1985. p. C14. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.