Patricia Birch
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Patricia Ann Birch (born October 16, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, film director, and theatre director.


Early life

Born in
Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of Engle ...
, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including '' Brigadoon'', '' Goldilocks'', and ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'' (playing Anybodys). She has directed and choreographed music videos for
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
, and
Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...
. She earned
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 ...
s for her direction of the television specials ''
Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...
: Unforgettable'' and ''Celebrating Gershwin'' and, in collaboration with
Michael Tilson Thomas Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist, and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the S ...
, she staged the concert version of '' On the Town'' performed by both the
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
and the
San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...
. She spent six years staging numbers for ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. In the 1960s, she taught dance at the Juilliard School's pre-college division in New York City. She performed as a soloist with
Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...
and Agnes de Mille.


Work


Film

*''
The Electric Company ''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. ...
'' (1971) *'' Savages'' (1973) *'' The Wild Party'' (1975) *'' Roseland'' (1977) *'' A Little Night Music'' (1977) *'' Grease ''(1978) *''
Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American Musical film, musical romantic comedy film, and a standalone sequel to the Grease (film), 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 Grease (musical), musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Orig ...
'' (1982) also director *'' Christmas with Flicka'' (1987) *''
Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * Big (film), ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big'', a 2023 Taiwanese children's film starring Van Fan and Chie Tanaka * ''Big!'', a ...
'' (1988) *'' Elvira: Mistress of the Dark'' (1988) *'' The Orchestra'' (fr. ''L'orchestre'', 1989) *'' Stella'' (1990) *'' Billy Bathgate'' (1991) *'' Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991) *'' This Is My Life'' (1992) *''
Used People ''Used People'' is a 1992 romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron. The film stars Shirley MacLaine, Marcello Mastroianni, Bob Dishy, Kathy Bates, Marcia Gay Harden, Jessica Tandy, Doris Roberts and Joe Pantoliano. The screenplay by Todd Gr ...
'' (1992) *''
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
'' (1994) *'' The First Wives Club'' (1996) *'' The Human Stain'' (2003) *'' The Stepford Wives'' (2004)


Stage productions (selected)

''All credits as choreographer unless otherwise noted'' *''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'' (1960 Broadway) (performer) *'' The Me Nobody Knows'' (1970) (Musical Staging) *''
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and (in a 1999 revision) Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip ''Peanuts''. The musical ...
'' (1971 Broadway musical) *'' Grease'' (1972 Broadway musical) *'' A Little Night Music'' (1973 Broadway musical) *'' Over Here!'' (1974 Broadway musical) *''
Pacific Overtures ''Pacific Overtures'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by John Weidman, with "additional material by" Hugh Wheeler. Set in nineteenth-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization starting ...
'' (1976 Broadway musical) *'' They're Playing Our Song'' (1979 Broadway musical) *'' Zoot Suit'' (1981 Broadway play) *'' Raggedy Ann'' (1986 Broadway musical also director) *'' Anna Karenina'' (1992 Broadway musical) *'' Band In Berlin'' (1999 Broadway musical) *''
Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...
'' (1997 Broadway musical) *''
Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
'' (1998 Broadway musical) *'' Lovemusik'' (2007 Broadway musical)


Awards and nominations

;Awards *1972 Drama Desk Award – ''Grease'' *1974 Drama Desk Award – ''Candide'' *2009 Induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame ;Nominations *1972 Tony Award – ''Grease'' *1974 Tony Award – ''Over Here!'' *1976 Drama Desk Award – ''Pacific Overtures'' *1976 Tony Award – ''Pacific Overtures'' *1977 Drama Desk Award – ''Music Is'' *1977 Tony Award – ''Music Is'' *1999 Drama Desk Award – ''Parade'' *1999 Tony Award – ''Parade'' *2007 Drama Desk Award – ''LoveMusik''


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Patricia 1934 births Living people 21st-century American women American choreographers American dancers American female dancers American television directors American women film directors American women television directors Drama Desk Award winners Film directors from New Jersey Musical theatre choreographers People from Englewood, New Jersey Primetime Emmy Award winners