Audrey Wood Breaux ( Donella; June 7, 1927 – April 26, 2023), better known as Dee Dee Wood, was an American choreographer. She was best known for her work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s, especially for

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

, one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time.

Biography

Audrey Wood Donella was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

on June 7, 1927. Most of her well-known work was in collaboration with

Marc Breaux Marc Breaux (November 3, 1924 – November 19, 2013) was an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well-known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to ...

, both in films and for television. Wood and Breaux were married in 1955 and were later divorced.Barnes, Mike
"'Mary Poppins' Choreographer Marc Breaux Dies at 89"
''Hollywood Reporter'', November 22, 2013 Wood first appeared as a dancer on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in ''

Can-Can The can-can (also spelled cancan as in the original French /kɑ̃kɑ̃/) is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally dance ...

'' in 1953, and worked as an Assistant to

Michael Kidd Michael Kidd (August 12, 1915 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and stage choreographer, dancer and actor, whose career spanned five decades, and who staged some of the leading Broadway and film musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Kidd, s ...

on '' L'il Abner'' (1956) and ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Her ...

'' (1959) and was the choreographer (with Breaux) for '' Do Re Mi'' (1960). From 1964 to 1970, Wood and Breaux were the choreographers for the legendary weekly musical revue "The Hollywood Palace." It was from working with Dick Van Dyke on "Palace" that the married duo got their start in film musicals. The famous TV comedian recommended them fo
Mary Poppins
with Julie Andrews; they received glowing reviews for the innovative "Step In Time" number where chimney sweeps dance across London rooftops. Wood and Beaux continued their success with the choreography for

The Sound Of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

. Wood and her partner had several challenges: adapting the stage's dance numbers to a wide range of Salzberg locations; working with seven child actors (six under the age of 13) and being limited to using only arrangements from the original stage musical as specified by

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

contract. Wood developed a traditional Austrian folk dance, the

Ländler The Ländler () is a European folk dance in time. Along with the waltz and allemande, the ländler was sometimes referred to by the generic term German Dance in publications during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Despite its associa ...

, for

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

's Maria and

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

's Captain von Trapp, in such a way that the actors, wordlessly, grow closer and closer until, as Wood put it, "we know, and they know, that they love each other." Wood choreographed other popular film musicals, including

Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang ''Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' is a children's story written by Ian Fleming and illustrated by John Burningham. It was initially published in three volumes, the first of which was released on 22 October 1964 by Jonathan Cape, b ...

again with Dick Van Dyke, and

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

with Bette Midler. As her work gravitated toward television, Wood won an Emmy nomination in 1975 for her choreography on the TV special of

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

. Wood also discovered a special ability for choreographing live TV spectaculars, such as Super Bowl halftime shows and the Opening Ceremony of the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, which earned her another Emmy nomination in choreography. In 1987, Wood won the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for ABC's "Liberty Weekend 1986 - Closing Ceremonies," commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, with its glorious fireworks over New York Harbor. Wood, along with her partner Beaux, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 at the American Choreographers award ceremonies. Wood later lived in

Cave Creek, Arizona Cave Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,892. History Cave Creek w ...

, where she died on April 26, 2023, at the age of 95.

Filmography

Sources: ''Hollywood Reporter''; ''The Guardian'';Baskin, Gregory
" 'Mary Poppins' at 50 and Choreographer Dee Dee Wood"
''The Guardian'', October 28, 2014 Hollywood.com; TCM "Dee Dee Wood Filmography"
tcm.com, retrieved November 3, 2017 *''

The Andy Williams Show ''The Andy Williams Show'' is an American television variety show hosted by singer Andy Williams that ran on NBC (and was videotaped in color) from 1962 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with ''Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens'') ...

'' (1962) TV Series (choreographer) (1962–1963) *'' Judy and Her Guests'',

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity w ...

and

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American‐Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canad ...

(1963) (TV) (choreographer) *''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'' (1964) (choreographer) *''

The King Family Show ''The King Family Show'' is an American musical variety series that featured The King Sisters and their extended musical family. The series first aired on ABC from January 23, 1965, to January 8, 1966. The series was revived in 1969, airing ...

'' (1965) TV Series (choreographer) *''

'' (1965) (choreographer) *''

The Happiest Millionaire ''The Happiest Millionaire'' is a 1967 American musical film starring Fred MacMurray, based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Sr., Anthony Drexel Biddle. The film, featuring music by the Sherman Brothe ...

'' (1967) (stager: musical numbers) *''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

'' (1968) (choreographer) *''

Of Thee I Sing ''Of Thee I Sing'' is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for Preside ...

'' (1972) (TV) (choreographer) *'' The Cher Show (1975) TV Series (choreographer) *''

John Denver and Friend John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

'' (1976) (TV) (choreographer) *''

Benji's Very Own Christmas Story ''Benji's Very Own Christmas Story'' is a 1978 American Christmas television special featuring Benji and is one of two such ''Benji'' specials to have been nominated for an Emmy Award. Patsy Garrett and Cynthia Smith reprise their respective ro ...

'' (1978) (TV) (choreographer) *''

In God We Tru$t ''In God We Trust'' (stylized as ''In God We Tru$t'') is a 1980 American comedy film starring Marty Feldman, Andy Kaufman, Louise Lasser and Peter Boyle. Intended as a biting religious satire, it was also produced, directed and co-written by Fel ...

'' (1980) (choreographer) *'' Los Angeles 1984: Games of the XXIII Olympiad'': (1984) (mini) TV Series (assistant choreographer) *''

Liberty Weekend Liberty Weekend was a four-day celebration held to mark the 1984–86 restoration and the centenary of the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') in New York City. It began on July 3, 1986, and ended on July 6. July 3, 1986: ope ...

'' (1986) (TV) (choreographer) *''

'' (1988) (choreographer) *'' Prop Culture'' (2020) (TV) (herself)

References

External links

* *
Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Wood Biography at azmusichalloffame.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Dee Dee 1927 births 2023 deaths American choreographers People from Cave Creek, Arizona Primetime Emmy Award winners