Alexandre Magno is a Brazilian born

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

and director. His dance styles include

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

, and

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. He has performed with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Yanni Yiannis Chryssomallis (; born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni ( ), is a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer. Yanni continues to use the musical shorthand that he developed as a child, blending jazz, clas ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

, the Lido La Tourné, Ballet Hispanico, the

Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows is a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. The Ringling brothers were sons of a Germ ...

, and the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. He also works with his own dance company, “Personna Dance Theatre".

Choreography

1993 - 2006

In 1993 Magno was choreographer for

on her world tour and

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special '' The Girlie Show'', for which his work was highly praised in ''

Daily Variety ''Variety'' is an American trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933, ''Daily Variety'' was launched, based in ...

''. In 2001, Madonna worked with Magno again on her ''

Drowned World Tour The Drowned World Tour (billed as Drowned World Tour 2001) was the fifth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums, '' Ray of Light'' (1998) and ''Music'' (2000). It began on June 9, 20 ...

'', adding tango, salsa, flamenco,

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

, Samurai sword work, a

contortionist Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, circus acts, street performers and other liv ...

, and a traditional Javanese dancer. He was nominated for an

Emmy award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

and an American Choreography Award for the tour. Following Madonna's tour, Magno began working for the male pop group Plus One on their 2002 '' Obvious'' tour. In 2002, Magno graduated from the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...

. In 2003,

asked Magno to choreograph for her

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

special and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

club tour, for which his work was highly praised in ''

Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is an American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, which sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to Ameri ...

''. In 2004, Magno was commissioned by the Norwegian company ODE choreograph their 10th anniversary show, to be titled ''Illusionatics''. In December 2005, Magno worked with

flamenco guitar A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar, but with lower action, thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, grittier sound compared ...

ist Ron Benise, choreographing and staging ''Nights Of Fire'' a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television special, which incorporated flamenco, Afro-Cuban salsa, and samba. Magno then worked on Benise's 2006 National Tour; re-mounting, choreographing in addition to dancing as one of the lead performers with Benise. Magno appeared in, directed and choreographed ''The Eternal'' a short film written by

Zalman King Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1941 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica. Early life Zalman Kin ...

, for the

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television network, which aired as part of the ''Forty Duce'' series. He also choreographed for the show ''

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

'', on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

, as one of the shows first guest choreographers. Magno choreographed the video for the song''Sway'' by the

Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainst ...

, from the soundtrack to the 2004 film '' Shall We Dance?''. In the beginning of 2006, Magno completed his work on ''Orfeu In The Carnival of Souls'' a full-length original ballet commissioned by New York's Ballet Hispanico. In addition to conceiving and choreographing the ballet, he directed, produced the soundtrack, and co-wrote most of the original music made for the ballet. ''Orfeu In The Carnival Of Souls'' received a favorable review from Sara G. Levin in '' The Villager''. Magno produced original music for his ballets ''Rendezvous Liaison'', ''Dejame Sonar'' and ''Orfeu In The Carnaval Of Souls''. He has been a dance trainer for

Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. With a career spanning five decades, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, along with nominations for four Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. After appearing in se ...

Elizabeth Berkley Elizabeth Berkley ( ) is an American actress and producer. She played Jessie Spano in the ''Saved by the Bell'' television franchise and Nomi Malone in the controversial 1995 Paul Verhoeven film '' Showgirls''. She had supporting roles in the ...

, and

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

2008 - present

Magno collaborated with

as artistic director and choreographer for

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

, and for Yanni's 2008 PBS television special ''

Yanni Voices ''Yanni Voices'' (also released in Spanish as ''Yanni Voces'') is the twelfth studio album and fifth live DVD by Yanni, released on Yanni/Wake label in 2009. Background This was Yanni's first studio release in six years. In collaboration with pr ...

'', which featured the artists Natahan Pacheco,

Chloe Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...

, Ender Thomas,

Leslie Mills Leslie Mills is an American actress, film producer, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Music career Originally from Kentucky and based in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Mills grew up studying dance, theater, and music. She got her st ...

José José José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer. Also known as ''El Príncipe de la Canción'' (The Prince of Song), his performance and vocal style have influenced ma ...

, Lucero, Christian Castro, Olga Tañon and an orchestra . This special was nominated for a

Luna Award The Luna Awards are awards given annually by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Filipino film industry. The first awards were presented in 1983 in Pasay. It is considered to be the Philipp ...

in Mexico. Magno produced, staged and choreographed "Benise The Spanish Guitar", he then went on to direct and choreograph the "Benise" 40 city US Tour, ending the tour at the "Chicago Theatre" He is producer, co-writer and choreographer of ''Winds of Passion'' a series of three short films, linked into one drama

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

. Magno created for the Norwegian dance company ODE ''La Rueda'' a Latin/Cuban ballet, with both established and new Latin artists, using Latin songs such as

Celia Cruz Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of , earning the nickna ...

’s single '' La Vida Es Un Carnaval''.

Theater

In 1989, Magno formed his own dance company, Personna Dance Theater. He produced a five show series ''With Passion''. In 1998, he and his company were the featured company for ''Joinville'', the dance festival in South America, where he received a special award for excellence in choreography. In 1996, Magno was hired to choreograph, write, and compose ''Hiroshima Requiem'', a dance concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the

bombing of Hiroshima On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during World War II. The aerial bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civili ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was later the director and choreographer and composer for the Parisian Lido Show ''Rendezvous Liaison'', an original ballet for their upcoming world tour. For the Ballet Hispanico in New York City, he created an original ballet based on Hispanic music of the 1940s and 1950s, ''Dejame Sonar''. In 2003, Magno was commissioned to create original works for Odyssey dance company, based on the mythic story of Euridice; an original ballet based on Shakespeare’s''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' for Origins Company combining Latin ballroom, jazz, and hip-hop; and a piece for the European company ODE. He also choreographed for Franz Ferdinand '' Master of Illusion'' tour, the ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'' 20th anniversary, ''Jfoxx'' and ''Jmen'', and ''Love vs. Hate; A Romeo and Juliet Story''.

Feature films and television

*''62nd Academy Awards'', which he co-choreographed with

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...

*''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions ...

'', a television series in which he directed a dance segment *''

Lord of Illusions ''Lord of Illusions'' is a 1995 American neo-noir supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his own short story ''The Last Illusion'' published in 1985 in the anthology ''Books of Blood'' Volume 6. The same story intr ...

'' a

Clive Barker Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. He came to prominence in the 1980s with a series of short stories collectively named the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading horror author ...

film *'' Somebody to Love'', starring

Rosie Perez Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came at age 24 with her portrayal of Tina in the film '' Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's performance in '' Fear ...

*'' Liquid Dreams'', for which his choreography was favorably reviewed at the 1991

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

*''Brasil 500 Anos'', a celebration of Brazil’s 500th birthday *''The Golden Eagle Awards'' for Nosostro TV *''Just a Dream'', a video for MCA recording artist Donna De Lory

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magno, Alex Brazilian choreographers Brazilian male dancers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) New York Film Academy alumni Contemporary dancers 20th-century Brazilian dancers 21st-century Brazilian dancers