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STUDENT NAME: Shea McDonough

INSTRUCTOR: S.E. Lewis

SEMESTER: Fall 2015

SECTION: ENG102

The argument I am making in my essay is:

Bob Fosse is the most influential and inspiring choreographer in history as he trained from
childhood despite illness, invented a highly popular style of dance, and won the most Tony Awards for his
choreography.

My essay is at least full five pages long: Yes

My essay incorporates at least 4 sources, at least 3 of which are from academic sources: Yes

My essay is in MLA format and is properly cited: Yes

I have verified that I do not plagiarize sources and have properly paraphrased, summarized,
quoted: Yes
My essay is organized into distinct paragraphs, all of which support a focused argumentative
thesis: Yes

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My essay has been proofread and edited: Yes

I understand that my essay will be read by another instructor in the English department. That
reader will decide whether my essay meets the minimum requirements to pass ENG102: Yes

Faculty Portion

FACULTY NAME: S. E. Lewis

This essay is being submitted as requirement for ENG 102

Rationale for submitting students essay for assessment:

The above student conscientiously competed this assignment, proofread it, and made revisions as suggested.

Please submit this digital form with your researched essay.

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READERS FEEDBACK FORM FOR ENG 102 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Reader 1:

Reader 2:

Criteria

INTRODUCTION AND THESIS:

Does the paper have an engaging title and introduction? Does the introduction effectively
establish the topic and provide enough background information for readers to understand the
argument? Does the intro include a clear, arguable thesis statement?

ARGUMENT:
Does the overall paper identify a main argument that is clear and strong? Are at least 3 key
supporting points presented? Is each key point connected back to the main argument in an
effective manner?

EVIDENCE AND SUPPORT:

Reader 1:

Reader 2:

Reader 1:

Reader 2:

Reader 1:

Is the main argument of the essay well supported by an adequate amount of specific
evidence from at least 4 credible sources, at least 3 of which are academic?
Reader 2:

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ORGANIZATION AND LOCAL ISSUES:

Reader 1:

Is the paper logically organized, using effective transitions and topic sentences throughout?
Are there mistakes in spelling, grammar, or punctuation?
Reader 2:

CONCLUSION:

Reader 1:

Does the paper conclude in a way that provides the reader with a sense of closure and
emphasizes the strength of the argument & key points?
Reader 2:

LENGTH AND MLA STYLE:

Reader 1:

Is the essay at least 5 full pages in length? Is proper MLA format used throughout the essay,
including for in-text citations and the Works Cited page?

Reader 2:

Shea McDonough

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S.E. Lewis
Reading & Writing II
17 November 2015
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis Bob Fosse was a man of many talents. For nearly forty years, Fosse was
celebrated for his directing, screenwriting, and acting. He was most renowned, however, for his
dancing and choreography. In fact, Bob Fosse is the most influential and inspiring choreographer
in history as he trained from childhood despite illness, invented a highly popular style of dance,
and won the most Tony Awards for his choreography.
Born on June 23, 1927 in the city of Chicago, Bob Fosse was a rather rough and
rambunctious little boy. Yet despite his spunk and effervescence, Fosse did not have an easy
youth. Fosse suffered from chronic seizures and pneumonia which caused him to feel fairly weak
and tired. Fosse was often left bedridden and, therefore, he was unable to participate in normal
childhood activities and find his forte. Though Fosse seemed almost predisposed to the
performing arts due to his father, Cyril Fosse, working as a vaudevillian actor, neither Fosse nor
his parents intended for him to be a dancer. Instead, it was Fosses older sister, Patsy, who
showed an interest in dance. Fosses parents consequently enrolled Patsy in the Chicago
Academy of Theatre Arts, but Bob was sent to class with Patsy as a way to get young Bob out of
the house (Grubb 35).
Bob was initially reluctant to spend his time in the dance studios as he was one of the
only boys, but he soon became spellbound by the art of dance and began taking classes regularly.
Bob continued taking classes even when Patsy decided to quit. During this time, Bob caught the
eye of his teacher, Frederic Weaver. Weaver took great interest in his young student and made
Bob Fosse his protg. Under the direction of Weaver, Fosse excelled to the top of his classes

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and showed great promise. However, Fosses star truly began to shine when he was paired with
Charles Grass, another young and talented male dancer. Together the two created the Riff
Brothers and performed across Chicago and received enormous amounts of recognition for
energetic and masculine style. The Riff Brothers continued performing together up until Fosses
years at Amundsen High School, where Fosse attended class during the day only to take dance
classes from the Chicago Academy of Theatre Arts at night.
Much of Fosses attitude as a choreographer is believed to have stemmed from his
training as an adolescent. Through his training, Bob Fosse invented a groundbreaking style of
dance that became exceptionally popular. Fosse received numerous corrections in regard to his
open palms, rounded shoulders, and turned-in knees and feet. But Fosse seemed to never achieve
the traditional lines and positions of a technical dancer. Instead of letting his shortcomings hold
him back, Fosse featured his awkward angles and incorrect isolations in many of his works. By
mashing together his unconventional technique with his acquired taste for all things modern,
sexual, and darkly comedic, Fosse was able to establish the beginnings of his career (Gottfried
23).
Fosses numerous dance classes helped him to hone his technique, but it was when Fosse
did not attend class that he gathered much of his ideas and inspiration. Ever the rebel, Fosse
would often skip class and go to burlesque clubs. Burlesque was considered to be an
underground style of dance at the time as it incorporated nudity and feminine sexuality. The
sensual and provocative nature of burlesque was also seen as raunchy and in poor taste due to
these aspects. However, Bob Fosse admired these qualities of burlesque and would later integrate
them into his most famous works of choreography. One of young Fosses first works of

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choreography was heavily inspired by burlesque as it featured four female dancers holding larger
ostrich feather fans and playing with the illusion of nudity (Grubb 68).
Fosse moved to New York City after graduating, where he rented a room for a mere
thirty-five cents a day. Though his accommodations were humble to say the least, Fosse had very
little trouble finding work as he was almost instantly cast on a few television programs. Fosse
got his big break, however, when Broadway heavyweight George Abbott asked Fosse to
choreograph his new Broadway musical The Pajama Games in 1954.Fosse worked ceaselessly to
perfect the choreography in The Pajama Games, but Fosses influence did not end there. Fosse
also pushed for control of music and the script, which were very audacious moves for a relatively
unknown choreographer. Fosse also overworked his dancers and spent endless hours tweaking
combinations. Nevertheless, Fosses antics were tolerated because his work was so fresh and
captivating. Fosses hard work ultimately won him a Tony Award for Best Choreography
(Wikipedia).
The awards did not end there. Throughout his career, Fosse received numerous awards
and accolades for his artistic endeavors. He received three Emmy Awards as well as a BAFTA
Award, a D.G.O.A. Award, and an Academy Award among other awards. Fosse most
impressively accumulated eight Tony Awards over his career, seven of which were for his
choreography. After The Pajama Games, Fosses newfound success earned him work as
choreographer for another Abbott show, Damn Yankees, in 1955. Like the previous year, Damn
Yankees again won Fosse the Tony Award for Best Choreography, but the production also won
Fosse the heart of actress Gwen Verdon. Having married in 1960, Fosse and Verdon became a
Broadway power couple as they continued to win Tony Awards for their work in Redhead, Little
Me, and 1966s Sweet Charity (Gottfried 100).

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After the success of Sweet Charity, Hollywood tapped Fosse to direct a film adaptation of
the show in 1969. The film seemed bound for success with an all-star cast and a generous budget
of $20,000,000. But Sweet Charity was considered a financial failure as it only made $8,000,000
at the box office. Despite the fact the film nearly left Universal Pictures bankrupt, Fosse
continued working in film. In 1972, Fosse both directed and choreographed Cabaret starring
Liza Minelli. Unlike Sweet Charity, Cabaret was a huge success as it earned over $42,000,000
and won eight Academy Awards, including one for Fosse for Best Director. This milestone in
Fosses career was only the tip of the iceberg, as Fosse won a Tony Award that year for his
directorial work in the stage musical Pippin as well as an Emmy Award for his directorial work
in the television special Liza with a Z. With his record-setting victories, Fosse had established
himself as not only a celebrity, but a legend (To the Great Choreographer Bob Fosse).
In 1978, Fosse directed and choreographed the Broadway musical Dancin, which won
Fosse yet another Tony Award for Best Choreography. The following year, Fosse directed a
biopic called All That Jazz which was loosely based on Fosses own life. The film was a critical
success and earned Fosse an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Fosse seemed to be
on top of the world, but Fosse soon showed chinks in his armor. Ever a man of passion and
eagerness, Fosse was also a man of impulse and addiction. In the mid-1970s, Fosse became
increasingly dependent on alcohol and amphetamines (Zaremba 158). It is also believed that
Fosse smoked more than four packs of cigarettes a day. In the following years, Fosse suffered
two heart attacks presumably from his unhealthy habits. Fosse worked sporadically throughout
the early to mid-1980s, even winning his last Tony Award in 1986 for Best Choreography in Big
Deal. But none of Fosses work at the time invoked the success and industry-buzz that his earlier
works were able to. In 1987, he began work on his final production, a Broadway revival of Sweet

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Charity. The revival was a success, but Fosse was unable to celebrate as he suffered his third
heart attack and died before the show opened. Both Broadway and Hollywood lost a star on
September 23, 1987 (Bob Fosse, choreographer).
Some might argue Fosses legacy was tarnished by his misbehavior and mistreatment of
his colleagues and collaborators. As a choreographer, Fosse was described as a control freak
and unwilling to compromise his artistic vision. Fosse refused direction and despised correction.
He was very tough on his dancers and often overworked them. Consequently, he was not well
liked by those who had to work with him. For example, Fosse once famously fell into the
orchestra pit during a rehearsal of a show and no one came to his aid. Having struggled with his
temper and substance abuse, Fosse was not a perfect man. But in terms of his craft, Fosse was
(and still is) untouchable. Great artists tend to have demons and personal issues regardless of the
medium. Bob Fosse was simply a passionate perfectionist who stopped at nothing to achieve his
artistic vision (Was life a 'cabaret' for bob fosse? yes, no, maybe).
Though much of Bob Fosses legacy lives on in the world of dance, Fosse was not merely
a dancer or a choreographer. Bob Fosse was a pioneer and a visionary. Despite his troubles in his
childhood and adulthood, Fosse put in the time to become one of the best dancers and
choreographers the world has ever seen. His bevy of awards are a testament to that. With a keen
eye for aesthetic and a signature style that was ahead of his time, Fosse revolutionized the face of
dance. As an artist, Fosse celebrated human sexuality and inspired the hearts of many. Fosse
pushed boundaries and broke rules, yet through doing so he was able to set a standard for every
dancer who came after him.

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Work Cited
Bob Fosse, choreographer. (1987, Sep 25). The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034964646?accountid=28644

Gottfried, Martin. All His Jazz: The Life & Death of Bob Fosse. Illus. Maria Carella. Cambridge:
Da Capo, 1990. Print.

Grubb, Kevin Boyd. Razzle Dazzle: The Life and Work of Bob Fosse. Rev ed. N.p.: St. Martin's,
1991. Print.

"To the Great Choreographer Bob Fosse." BusinessWorld (1999): 1. ProQuest. Web. 2 Dec.
2015.

Was life a 'cabaret' for bob fosse? yes, no, maybe. (2014, Jan 03). Telegram & Gazette Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1473678752?accountid=28644

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Bob_Fosse>.

Zaremba, DFernando. "Fosse: An Introduction." Fosse. Cat Ashmore. Hijinks Design, 1994.
Web. 6 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fosse.com/features/fosse_an_introduction.html>.