Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Michael Peters

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Occupation
  
Choreographer, dancer

Years active
  
1970s−1994


Name
  
Michael Peters

Role
  
Choreographer


Full Name
  
Michael Douglas Peters

Born
  
August 6, 1948 (
1948-08-06
)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

Died
  
August 29, 1994, Los Angeles, California, United States

Awards
  
Tony Award for Best Choreography, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography

Similar People
  
Michael Bennett, Tom Eyen, Jennifer Holliday, Dee Dee Wood, Karen Arthur

Michael Jackson Music Videos choreography


Michael Douglas Peters (August 6, 1948 – August 29, 1994) was an American choreographer.

Contents

Michael Peters Michael Peters choreographer of Sarafina on Broadway My Dance

Debbie allen w michael peters


Biography

Michael Peters Michael Peters The original choreographer Beat It and Thriller

Peters was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City to an African American father and Jewish mother. His first major breakthrough came when he did choreography for Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975. He went on to stage other memorable dance sequences for music videos, including Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" (in which he has a brief cameo) and Lionel Richie's "Hello" (in which he also has a brief cameo as the dance instructor of Lionel Richie's blind love interest).

Michael Peters Michael Peters Dancers We Lost

However, he was most recognized for his choreography work in Michael Jackson's videos. Especially the smash hit "Thriller", directed by John Landis, and "Beat It" directed by Bob Giraldi, which is vaguely reminiscent of West Side Story: Peters co-stars as one of two gang leaders who prepare for a dramatic showdown/knifefight, which is averted at the last moment by Jackson. Peters is dressed all in white, and wears sunglasses during the piece.

Michael Peters Michael Peters La Danse Noire La Danse Noire

Peters choreographed Diana Ross' landmark July 1983 Central Park concert, "For One & For All", during which, he dances with Ross during her "Maniac" & "Pieces of Ice" numbers. Peters also appeared in Lionel Richie's video "Running With The Night".

Michael Peters Michael Jackson Thriller Dance Choreography Image Gallery HCPR

Peters is also widely credited for the striking transformation of actress Angela Bassett into Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do with It.

Peters danced with Talley Beatty, Alvin Ailey, Bernice Johnson, and Fred Benjamin, and worked with Michael Bennett. Bennett and Peters shared a 1982 Tony Award for Best Choreography for their work on the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. In 1985, he directed and choreographed the Ellie Greenwich jukebox musical Leader of the Pack.

Peters died in Los Angeles, California of an AIDS related illness at 46.

Awards and nominations

  • 1982 Tony Award for Best Choreography – Dreamgirls
  • 1987 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography – Liberty Weekend
  • 1993 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography – The Jacksons: An American Dream
  • 1994 American Choreography Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Feature Film – What's Love Got to Do with It
  • References

    Michael Peters Wikipedia


    Similar Topics