Michael Douglas Peters (August 6, 1948 – August 29, 1994) was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

and director who is best known for his innovative choreography in music videos.

Early life

Michael Douglas Peters was born in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 Unit ...

on August 6, 1948, to an

father and a Jewish mother. His mother enrolled him in his first dance class at the age of 4 because all he ever did was dance around the house. Peters was inspired by Broadway musicals such as “My Fair Lady” and “West Side Story” to pursue a career in the performing arts. He grew up in a housing project in Brooklyn where he experienced gang wars in the neighborhood which would later inspire his choreography. Once Peters saw how much he related to “West Side Story”, he decided to pursue a career in dance. Michael attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High school of Music & Art and Performing Arts for four years. Despite his high IQ, Peters disliked school and would later drop out. He continued to dance at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center in Queens, NY.

Professional career

At the beginning of his career, Michael Peters appeared in many Broadway shows as a featured dancer. These shows include The Wiz, Raisin, Purlie, Billie, and Me and Bessie. He danced with modern dance choreographers such as Talley Beatty,

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

, Bernice Johnson, and Fred Benjamin. Peters had his first big breakthrough when he choreographed

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular m ...

's "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975. Peters would later go on to set the stage for commercial dance when he choreographed for music videos, such as

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

's "Hello",

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

's "Love is a Battlefield", and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's "Thriller" and "Beat It". Peters was among the first choreographers to establish a name as a music video choreographer. He was referred to as the "

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

of MTV" because he knew what would look good on screen. Peters would not only choreograph for these music videos but he would also appear as a dancer. He can be seen in "Beat It" as the dancing rival gang leader dressed in all white, "Hello" as the one who teaches Richie's blind date to dance, a brief cameo in "Love is a Battlefield" and Lionel Richie's "Running with the Night". Peters would also go on to choreograph for Diana Ross' Central Park Concert in July 1983, "For One & For All". He would continue to work with Ross when he danced in Ross' "Manic" and "Pieces of Ice". Peters also helped

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic '' What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

transform into

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

for the movie '' What's Love Got to Do with It'' in 1993. Peters continued to choreograph for films such as Sister Act 2, What's Love Got To Do, The Mambo Kings, The Five Heartbeats, Sarafina, 13 going on 30, The Movie Awards, the Blue Hour, Soul, and Scott Joplin. Peters's choreography credits also include TV Specials including "Head of the Class", and "The Pointer Sisters: Up All Nite". Peters would direct his first Broadway musical, "Leader in Pack" in 1985. He also directed episodes for many TV series such as "New Kids on the Block", "Knots Landing," "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", " "A Different World" and "Fame". In 1993, Peters began to advocate for more acknowledgments for choreography in films and would later start a campaign for an Oscar for choreography. He died of AIDS in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 1994, at the age of 46.

Awards and nominations

* 1982 Tony Award for Best Choreography – ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and other ...

'' * 1987 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography – '' Liberty Weekend'' * 1993 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography – '' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' * 1994 American Choreography Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Feature Film – '' What's Love Got to Do with It''

References

* * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Michael 1948 births 1994 deaths African-American choreographers African-American Jews African-American television directors AIDS-related deaths in California American choreographers American jazz dancers American television directors Emmy Award winners Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Tony Award winners People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn 20th-century African-American people