Published in 2020, Dancing Man: A Broadway Choreographer’s Journey by Bob Avian, with Tom Santopietro, is the first [*] memoir by a Gay Armenian-American. Avian is an American choreographer, theatrical producer, and stage director. Early in his career, he was a dancer on Broadway, and his credits include: West Side Story, Funny Girl, and Henry, Sweet Henry. For two decades he collaborated with Michael Bennett to choreograph Promises, Promises, Coco, Company, Follies, Seesaw, God’s Favorite, A Chorus Line, Ballroom. He choreographed Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard in London’s West End and again when both productions transferred to Broadway. He has won two Tony awards, a Laurence Olivier award, and two Drama Desk awards.
Act I of the memoir reveals the origins of one of Broadway’s legendary choreographers. Act II includes teaching Katherine Hepburn how to sing and dance in Coco. For a triumphant third act, Avian devised all of the musical staging for Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard, and directed A Chorus Line on Broadway. Book synopsis
Avian grew up in Manhattan and his parents were survivors of the genocide. They moved to the United States from Beirut, Lebanon. When he turned pro as a dancer, Avian shortened his surname from Avedisian to Avian. He and his husband Peter have been together over 30 years, committing to each other in 1985.
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ISBN: 978-1-4968-2588-9. Published by the University Press of Mississippi.
