Foss Bob Biography

But do you know the name Bob Foss? After all, his heritage deserves unconditional recognition among the people of the dancing. The forever young choreographer, artist, director, screenwriter - his tireless talent manifested in all the mortgages. The holder of many awards, including Tony Awards for achievements in the field of choreography, in the number of Broadway Tony, eight Foss occupies the second place in the history of the award.

Four times the Oscar nominee for the Award, he was awarded at the peak of his career and this prize - for the musical Cabaret. One of the greatest choreographers of the past century was no less gifted than Nizhinsky or Balanchins. Almost half of the main musicals in the world and the best dance scenes in the cinema is the work of the master, the best definition of which will be the word "uncontrollable".

Bob lived and created, like a rock star, with energy and incontinence. Stormy rampant life, three marriages, many passions and, at the same time, incredibly productive work. Sign up for a trial lesson of his death at a relatively early age - 60 years, was a blow for contemporaries, but not a surprise. Rather, his acquaintances were surprised that he lived before these years.

Fossi himself chose at times: “I always thought that I would die at twenty -five. People will sob - oh, he was so young! I thank God that I was born imperfect once Fossi decided that the shortcomings could be turned into dignity, and created his own choreographic style, for his time completely innovative. You will recognize it right away: lowered, shoulders, cigarettes in the mouth, fluid movements, clutching fingers, a pot of a pot of a pot and individual sharp gestures.

The energy of the vaudeville performer and the magnificent sense of humor become his business card. Foss did not seek to be the best, he sought to be special. Robert Luis Fossi was born on June 23 in Chicago in the family of artist Vaudeville, studied at a small dance school in the neighborhood, soon entered the ballet school, where he was the only boy. At the age of thirteen, Fossi found a stage partner - Charles Grasse, they began to speak under the pseudonym "Brothers Riffa".

Less than three years later, the guys have already earned dollars a week. And by fifteen, he worked as an entertainer in nightclubs and set the first numbers. By the year, Bob signed up in the sea troops in the unit responsible for the cultural program, in the Pacific Ocean, where he made a choice in favor of creativity. He later said that his technique of the dancer-choreographer was honed there, in Okinawa, during the service of his homeland.

After the Second World War, Fossi marries the Dancer Mary-Enn Nilez, forming a duet with his wife, he performs in clubs and on television-in musicals. His debut on Broadway took place in the roar of "Stir the song to me." Then there was a contract with the giant of Matro Golden Mayer and the start in Hollywood. He danced and sang in three musicals, played in the cinema, put a choreography.

At this time, Fossi began a love relationship with one of the participants in the production-Joan McCrand, which led to a break with Mary-Ann. Joan, who became the second wife of Fossi, had a classic ballet training, as well as influential friends. Thanks to her, Robert began to learn acting and modern choreography. When interesting roles ended in Hollywood, Foss did not fold his hands, but returned to New York, where the legendary Broadway producer George Abbot invited him to the production of “pajamas games”.

There Fossi found the perfect platform for the development of his choreography. Probably the most memorable in the production was the number "Steam Heat" steam heating. At his first public demonstration, according to the memoirs of the participants, they were so stunned by what they saw that they literally lit up the idea of ​​the choreographer and predicted each movement before its completion.

Formally, being the first completely independent choreographic production of Fossi on Broadway, in the future “Steam Heat” will be recognized as one of the masterpieces of modern dance art. The show was earned by success, and Fossi received not only Donaldson Award, but also the treasured Tony. He received the second next year, for the musical Damn Yankes. While working on him, Fossi is met by Gwen Verdon, who becomes his third wife.

And in M ​​he put his first Broadway musical - “Redhead”. This was a step in the work of Robert and Gwen. After reading the script, Gwen immediately agreed to the role, but with the only condition: Fossi should become not only a choreographer, but also the director of the musical. The authors of the work and producers had to be forced to agree, since the show was conceived under the dance talents of Gwen.

Moreover, later it was even named by the color of her hair - “redhead”. As usual, Fossi began rehearsals with perfectionism characteristic of him. Even after the episode seemed to be finished, and everyone was sure that the best could not be achieved, he continued to rehearse both before and after the performance. Robert was extremely emotional stress.According to colleagues, it was during this period that he began to abuse sleeping pills to fall asleep, and amphetamines to wake up, epileptic seizures appeared.

But the “redhead” continued to collect full halls, withstood the performances and brought its creators five Tony bonuses, including the award for the best musical. From the middle of X Foss, one of the leading choreographers on Broadway has become. His next work was the musical “How to succeed in business without much effort”, the show received 7 prizes of Tony and withstood almost performances.

Participation in this project had a beneficial effect on Fossi, depression retreated. Fossi and Verdon worked a lot together, for her he created “Cute Cherity” the free adaptation of Fellini's famous film “Kabiria Nights”. It began with the fact that the married couple visited the cinema. The picture of the Roman prostitute shocked Fossi so much that he did not sleep all night, and in the morning he had already told his wife a staging plan.

This thing has become a triumph. And in the subsequent film adaptation, the main feature of the foss style style became obvious - he can express serious key ideas for the narrative not in words, but visually. They may not know what exactly I am doing, but they know that I am doing something! A talented artist grows from a gifted dancer and showman, an author whose ideas have novelty and provocativeness.

Not only the style, but also the approach in work is distinguished by Bob from others. He trusts the individuality of the dancers and, allowing them to open, takes the best that they can show. Actors, in turn, practically worship his gift. Once, during the preparation of the play “Joy and Palaces”, the costs of its production producers appreciated as excessive ones. Then, the best dancers from the previous shows worked with Fossi, they announced their readiness to continue rehearsals free of charge, in the hope of maintaining the material.

But the day came when the director announced that the musical would not be placed. The subsequent scene is described by Bob biographers: they sat and looked at him, adored him and did not leave the stage. After the moments of immobility, the dancers rose, without hands, without effort, violating the laws of gravity. They began to move. The accompanist’s duty officer improvised.

The pianist followed them, he caught that they started. The accompanist on duty knew this number and those that happened later. Dancers recreated the retrospective of Fossi from their love and warmth, on their own and for themselves. For a good film, script, director, actors, music, special effects are important. For an amazingly good film, you need dances, Foss believes. And gives dance numbers an independent, full -fledged life, using them as the main means of developing the plot and disclosure of characters.

The synthesis of dramaturgy and expressive means of the musical, enriched with the style of modern ballet, leads Foss to the production of his best picture - “Kabare” - an Oscar for directing. His next successful ribbons are the scandalous biography of Lenny Bruce’s showman “Lenny” and, in many ways, an autobiographical picture, “all this jazz” by All That Jazz, the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar.

This is where the music, dance and modern installation allowed the phossa to convey himself - to recreate the flow of the director’s consciousness from Broadway, working on his last production. So he was so his work - about talented, but complex and imperfect arts. Fossi said: “I love is not that tragic, but sad endings. They seem to me more vital. ” The swift end of a dizzying career came on September 23