The Moon Walk, the Macarena... who's never dreamed of designing new choreography for an international superstar? Be it classical ballet or hip hop dance, most of today's dance styles incorporate moves from each other's disciplines to create some of the best modern choreography, choreographed by artists from all backgrounds with many influences. Here are the people who were best at choreography from a range of backgrounds and styles.
| Choreographer | Most Famous Work |
|---|---|
| Aurélien Bory | Plan B |
| Pierre Rigal | Scandal |
| Maurice Béjart | Boléro |
| Benjamin Millepied | Black Swan choreography |
| Carolyn Carlson | Blue Lady |
| Marie-Claude Pietragalla | La nuit des poètes |
| Kamel Ouali | Les Dix Commandements |
| Mia Frye | Macarena choreography |
| Wade Robson | I'm a Slave 4 U choreography |
| Blanca Li | Robot |
| Martha Graham | Appalachian Spring |
| Alvin Ailey | Revelations |
| Agnes de Mille | Oklahoma! Dream Ballet |
| Bob Fosse | Chicago |
| Crystal Pite | Betroffenheit |
1. Aurélien Bory
Aurélien Bory is a native of Colmar, France, born in 1971. She's one of the most talented choreographers in the history of dance. A former sound engineer, he had worked in architectural acoustics for the creative studio at the Circus Arts Centre in Toulouse since 1995. After being commissioned to set up the acoustics for a performance at the Theater Garonne, Aurélien Bory met artistic director Mladen Materic, who persuaded him to engage in dance performance, rather than orchestrate sound.
It came to be that Mr. Bory learned dance routines from his mentor, and then he joined the French ensemble Tattoo Theatre, dancing with them from 1998 to 2000. He later founded his dance studio, Company 111, in Toulouse, where he blends dance steps with circus, music, and visual arts.
Everything from the arena architecture to costumes plays a part in his shows. The company currently performs worldwide and carries out over 150 performances per artistic season. Aurélien Bory is one of the most significant figures in French contemporary dance.
Choreography is the structured design of movement in dance, combining rhythm, technique, storytelling, and physical expression. A choreographer arranges steps, shapes the emotional tone, and guides dancers through the artistic interpretation of music and space.
2. Pierre Rigal
His friendship with Aurélien Bory predates their fame, so it was natural that Pierre Rigal would base himself in Toulouse as well. However, that was not the first time he set foot in the Pink City, as that city is affectionately called. Born in 1973 in Moissac, Pierre Rigal first studied mathematical economics and cinema at the Audio-visual University in Toulouse. This choreographer did not realize he loved to dance until later, when he joined Gilles Jobin's dance training in 2002. A year after that, he launched his own dance choreography company: Last Minute.
Like Aurélien Bory, Pierre Rigal and his professional dancers now enjoy great success performing more than a hundred shows each year. His latest show, Scandal, highlights the skill and artistry of hip-hop dancing.
3. Maurice Béjart
Maurice-Jean Berger (1927-2007), known as Maurice Béjart, was one of the greatest dancers and perhaps the most innovative dance choreographer of the twentieth century. Belgium, 1960: he founded his first dance company called Twentieth Century Ballet, whose troupe performed all over the world. He was the founder of more than one repertory. His last venture, the Rudra in Lausanne, is still the most famous professional dance school in the world today.
Throughout the dance world, his brand of art has been challenged by his contemporaries, who all judged his dance moves too classic for these modern times. Maurice Béjart was indeed inspired by classical and neoclassical dance technique, but his repertoire went beyond traditional moves to showcase musical, lyrical, emotional, theatrical, and choreographic elements in his performances.
He was one of the choreographers who established modern dance as an art form in France and Belgium, which earned him membership in the French Academy of Fine Arts from 1994 until his death. Today, he is one of the most renowned choreographers in the history of dance.
Choreographers shape the visual identity of dance. They decide how stories are told through movement, influence the evolution of dance styles, and often determine the artistic direction of entire companies, productions, and theatrical traditions.
4. Benjamin Millepied
The dance film Black Swan has surely not escaped your attention, especially if you are a fan of classical dance. This documentary chronicles the strenuous training of a Swan Lake ballet dancer. Born in 1971 in Bordeaux, Benjamin Millepied is one of the most sought-after choreographers for films featuring dance sequences. He first came to the attention of American producers as a soloist for the New York City Ballet.
Following the filming of Black Swan, he took a position as director of the ballet corps of the Paris Opera Ballet, a post he held from 2014 to 2016. He also married the beautiful Natalie Portman, having met her on the set of Black Swan: such a lovely story, well worth the greatest of Hollywood scenarios! Benjamin Millepied remains today an internationally recognized performer, influential in the world of dance and theater.
The choreographers here include ballet, modern dance, Broadway jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and multidisciplinary theater.
5. Carolyn Carlson
Born in 1943, Carolyn Carlson is the whole package: dancer, choreographer, poet, and calligrapher. This American has enjoyed a career that is the envy of American dance and has performed with more than one ballet company worldwide. She established her legacy in dance history through the creation of more than a hundred works, each acclaimed by dance companies worldwide.
Besides being a hit on the American modern dance scene, this dancer and choreographer embodies the spirit of the art and is revered as one of the most significant figures of New Wave French dance. She was involved in the development of contemporary French dance at the Paris Opera and in the Italian performing arts with the Teatrodanza at La Fenice.
Carolyn Carlson then branched into dance instruction at her Paris studio, Carolyn Carlson, a Dance Masterclass, in 1999. And then, dynamic presence that she is, she became director of the National Choreographic Center in Pas-de-Calais before establishing her own dance company: the Carolyn Carlson Company. She further enjoyed collaboration with the National Theatre of Chaillot from 2014 to 2016. It would be apt to describe this dancer as a true poet of dance because she prefers to describe her choreography as visual poetry, which you could explore and learn about in a dance class.
6. Marie-Claude Pietragalla
Discovered during a broadcast of the dance program Dancing with the Stars, Marie-Claude Pietragalla is a revered dancer and choreographer. Born in 1963 in Paris, Marie-Claude began dancing at a very young age to combat hyperactivity.
At 9 years old, she took her skills to dance school. The routine she performed at the ballet school's audition for the Paris National Opera naturally earned her admission. At age 16, she joined the Opera's ballet corps and became a principal dancer on December 22, 1990, after her performance in Don Quixote. In 2004, this dancer-turned-choreographer launched her dance company in collaboration with Julien Derouault. They are life partners, too!
The choreography of Theatre of the Body Pietragalla – Derouault is a fusion of classical and contemporary dance with hip-hop influences. And she keeps adding arrows to her quiver: her latest venture is literature!
7. Kamel Ouali
Born in 1971, Kamel grew up mad for dance and about Michael Jackson. So it stands to reason that his career in dance theatre would skyrocket, given just a bit of a push. A professor at the Paris Dance Academy, this dancer/choreographer regularly participates in projects such as music videos and staged shows. He now ranks among the most famous dancers in France and abroad.
His dramatic dance style quickly made him a name to be reckoned with in dancing circles. However, his real success came with his choreographing musical theater: French adaptations of The Ten Commandments and an adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.
His fame got a boost among teens and young adults when he served as dance instructor for the French version of the television show Star Academy, from 2001 to 2008. All while coaching new dancers for the telly, he created his debut musical, the wildly successful The Sun King. Rumor has it that this show will soon make a comeback! He followed up that achievement with the musical comedy Cleopatra.
8. Mia Frye
Have you ever danced the Macarena? It is to the choreographer and dancer Mia Frye that we owe this superb acrobatic feat (try at 90 years old; you'll understand!) Born in 1965 in the United States, Mia Frye arrived in France at 12 years old and quickly integrated into the Centre of Dance, known as The Marsh, a historic district in Paris. A few years later, she became a dance teacher, hosting workshops in jazz dance and rhythmic dancing.
Introduced to film director Luc Besson at age 17, she choreographed the music video for French singer Serge Gainsbourg's "My Legionnaire". In the summer of 1996, Mia Frye premiered what would become one of her greatest successes: La Macarena, the internationally acclaimed dance movement.
Not only did she choreograph the dance, but she also participated in the filming of Los del Río's music video! Since then, besides collaborating with other music artists, Mia Frye has participated in French reality shows such as Popstars as an official choreographer.
9. Wade Robson
From a young age, Australian Wade Robson demonstrated bucketloads of talent. At the age of seven, he was discovered by the mythical Michael Jackson, who, upon seeing his dancing, immediately offered him a spot in the music video "Black or White."
His distinctive feel for pop music paved the way for him to direct both music videos and world tours for such illustrious performers as NSYNC and Britney Spears, whom he worked with until 2002. He is no stranger to other aspects of pop culture, having designed the choreography for Britney's famous Pepsi commercial, which aired during America's premier sports event, the Super Bowl.
His fame as a choreographer and instructor thus secure, he goes even further as a frequent collaborator with other choreographers, such as Mya Michaels and Shane Sparks, and with music artists Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake, and Demi Lovato, to name a few. He is truly an international star of new dance, whose creativity is a beacon to all.
10. Blanca Li
Blanca Li is one of those artists of many hats: dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. Born in Spain in 1964, Blanca Li is passionate about all styles of dance: Flamenco, hip hop, classical, and ballroom dance, among others. She joined the national gymnastics team in Granada at the age of 12. She then set out to study dance with Martha Graham in New York at 17.
It was in Spain that she founded her first dance company, which was contracted to perform for the Seville World's Fair in 1992. Hers was a beautiful entry into the field of French culture! In the aftermath, the Nancy Opera contracted her to stage the operas Short Life and Sorcerer's Love. These two shows won her acceptance from the highly cultured French. Running on the wave of delight and acclaim, she set up her choreography center, Blanca Li, in Paris in 1998.
The following year, the Paris Opera contracted her to update the choreography of their show, the Amorous Indies – Les Indes Galantes. To finance her company, Blanca Li staged music videos for artists as diverse as Daft Punk and Rita Mitsouko. She never baulks at engagement with anyone, be it arranging intense human movement for Beyonce, or rhythm sequences for Paul McCartney!
11. Martha Graham
For many, Martha Graham is easily one of the best choreographers of all time. This American artist was born in 1894 and founded the Martha Graham Dance Company, one of the most influential companies in the world today. Her approach to movement in dance was rooted in contraction, release, spirals, and grounded emotional expression. At the time, this was unlike anything seen in ballet or classical theater. Rather than focus on decorative steps, she explored psychological themes, human conflict, mythology, and raw expressive power through dance.
Her career spanned over seven decades, and she choreographed over 180 works, including Appalachian Spring, Lamentation, Chronicle, and Cave of the Heart. Her work shaped the language of modern choreography, and from New York to Paris, dancers are trained in studios inspired by it. Prominent American artists such as Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor began their careers under Martha Graham.
Her influence can be seen today in contemporary choreography on Broadway, in opera, and across modern theater. Her work is a foundation for any dance teacher interested in understanding the evolution of dance in the 20th century.
12. Alvin Ailey
Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey is one of the most famous choreographers of the 20th century. He's famous for transforming American modern dance and expanding its cultural reach worldwide. He was born in Texas in 1931 and founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City in 1958. The company was established to provide Black dancers and artists with a professional home at a time when opportunities in ballet and theater were minimal, practicing what his famous dance quote preached.
His masterpiece Revelations (1960) is still one of the most performed works in modern choreography. It was built on African American spirituals and blues music, exploring themes of resilience, oppression, faith, and hope. Ailey's choreography regularly uses emotional storytelling and musicality, allowing dancers' individuality to shine while remaining rooted in ensemble unity.
Ailey was also a gifted teacher and artistic director. He nurtured generations of dancers as he shaped the identity of American dance. His company still tours internationally and is famous for its athleticism, artistry, and cultural relevance.
13. Agnes de Mille
Agnes de Mille is one of American theater's most famous choreographers. She's remembered for revolutionizing dance in musicals and narrative production. She was born in 1905 into a theatrical family. She became known for blending ballet technique with expressive storytelling. Her style shifted the focus from decorative movement to character-driven choreography.
Her breakthrough Rodeo (1942) was created for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, with lively, folk-inspired choreography and an iconic "Hoe-Down" sequence that won her widespread acclaim. From this success, she went on to create her career-defining work for Broadway: Oklahoma! (1943). Her dream ballet sequence reshaped musical theater by using choreography as both entertainment and a vehicle for storytelling, revealing characters' fears, desires, and psychological conflicts.
14. Bob Fosse
One of the best choreographers of all time, Bob Fosse, created an entirely distinct movement style. He reshaped Broadway, film, and modern choreography. Fosse was born in Chicago in 1927 and began his career as a dancer. He later became a director and choreographer, creating his signature look: turned-in knees, sharp angles, articulated hands, minimalist isolations, and stylized sensuality. From bowler hats and gloves to sleek silhouettes, his movement vocabulary was instantly recognizable.
His breakthrough works on Broadway, The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, and Sweet Charity, were praised for their bold theatricality and innovative staging. He would transition into film, where he directed Cabaret (1972), earning him an Academy Award for Best Director. The choreography for All That Jazz and Chicago continues to define Broadway's visual identity today, with many dancers and teachers crediting Fosse with a new level of precision, characterization, and musicality in theatrical dance productions.
Choreographer, director, and visionary, Fosse is a triple threat and a central figure in professional dance training worldwide. You can see his influences in concert dance, music videos, theater productions, and contemporary artists inspired by his style.
15. Crystal Pite
Crystal Pite is one of the most famous choreographers in the world today. She's renowned for emotionally charged, visually striking work fusing contemporary movement and theatrical storytelling. Pite was born in British Columbia, Canada, in 1970, training with Canada's prestigious Ballet British Columbia. She joined William Forsythe's Frankfurt Ballet, which shaped her experimentation with form, musicality, and improvisation. In 2002, she founded her own company, Kidd Pivot, known for collaborative productions that blend dance, text, visual design, and cinematic staging.
Pite has created major pieces for the Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Oper Frankfurt. She's one of the most sought-after choreographers in international dance. Her ability to combine technique and cinematic storytelling has made her one of the finest choreographers of the 21st century.
Keeping with the field of dance, why not check out some of the most stunning ballet scenes, to motivate you before your first class?
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Gracias por el conocimiento compartido la verdad es útil para nosotros que no conocemos a los artistas que han dejado huellas en la historia, muchas gracias y muchas bendiciones a su persona.
de nada, Esteban 😊
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