John O’Connell

Choreographer

An internationally acclaimed choreographer for film, television and the stage, John O’Connell is probably best known for the international box office hits, Shall We Dance, Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom, Enchanted and Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. John’s most recent film choreography was for David Furnish/Elton John’s Gnomeo and Juliet in 2009. Other films choreographed by John include Razzle Dazzle, Romeo+Juliet, Muriel’s Wedding, Peter Pan, Passion, The Quiet American, The Matrix Revolutions, Scooby Doo, Children of the Revolution, Me, Myself & I and The Crossing. Known as a choreographer to the stars John has worked with some of the biggest names in the business including Nicole Kidman, Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe and Susan Sarandon, Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and many others.

For television he has worked on Come in Spinner, Brides of Christ, The Party Machine, Lucinda Smith and the Australia Remembers Gala tribute. In 2008/09 Johnchoreographed a musical entitled Rudolf in Vienna, prior to which he choreographed the 80th Academy Awards (the Oscars) in Los Angeles 2008. Earlier in 2009 he choreographed The Rocky Horror Show for New Theatricals; The Convict’s Opera for the Sydney Theatre Company and The Sentimental Bloke for Riverside Theatre. In 2007, he choreographed the Sydney Theatre Company’s Tales from the Vienna Woods and Kookaburra’s Company. He has been the Staging Director for the international tour of Il Divo, and for Company B he choreographed Threepenny Opera and Keating! (winner of the Helpmann award for best musical in 2007). His other stage and theatre credits include the award winning Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (Ensemble Theatre); The Magdricals for Sydney Opera House; Baz Luhrmann’s

Dance Hall and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Australian Opera, winner of most popular production at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival); Bananas in Pajamas, Emerald Room (STCSA), Burger Brain for (ATYP); Venetian Twins (Royal Queensland Theatre Company); Kissing Frogs (Glynn Nicholas Group); Barry Humphries’ one-man stage show, Remember You’re Out; South Pacific, which toured nationally and internationally (GFO); Sweet Charity, The Pajama Game, Assassins, Kiss Me Kate and Once on this Island (NIDA). John has also worked in international fashion creating and directing Colette Dinnigan’s Salon of Images in 1997 in Sydney, as well as two of her fashion events in the Louvre in Paris. John has worked extensively in cabaret, including a starring role in Graham Bond’s Captain Bloody, also featuring in his self-devised Boarder Line Cases with the Flying Trapeze Theatre, Soul Cha Cha with Renee Geyer, Burlesco at Melbourne’s Universal Theatre and various other productions at Kinselas including the Lamont Cranston musicals. In New York, John choreographed Spiegelworld’s Desir (2008) – a mix of circus and burlesque.

Other awards John has received include Best Choreographer (Moulin Rouge, 2001) at the American Choreography Awards, the highest accolade for dance in America, and winner, Australian Dance Award for Contribution to the Art of Dance, 1993. In 1989 John received the Golden Platypus Award for The Aquacade, for most popular event at the Brisbane Expo. John has also devised his own how-to-dance comedy show, Mr Cha Cha Says Dance, which featured at the Perth International Arts Festival in 2005 during which he taught 3000 people to Mambo.