Steve Merritt
Steve Merritt | |
---|---|
Born |
Steve Thomas Michaels January 17, 1945 San Jose, California, U.S. |
Died |
January 26, 1993 48) Los Angeles, California | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation |
Choreographer Dancer |
Years active | mid-1960s–late-1980s |
Notable work |
Dream Street 61st Academy Awards opening number |
Steve Merritt (January 17, 1945 – January 26, 1993)[1] was an American dancer and choreographer. Together with Nancy and Ronnie Horowitz and Mark Donnelly, Merritt created the musical Dream Street, which played in Las Vegas from 1983 to 1987. Merritt and Donnelly also conceived the Broadway-style format for the Chippendales show. In 1989 Merritt choreographed the opening number of the 61st Academy Awards presentation.
Steve Thomas Merritt was born Steve Thomas Michaels in San Jose, California, in 1945. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s and studied dance under David Winter while working as a dancer on a local TV show called The Farmer John Dance Show. He created the Solid Gold Dancers and performed on Casey Kasem's weekly Top Forty Countdown television show.
Merritt died of AIDS in 1993 at age 48.[2]