Marguerite Pomerhn-Derricks (born 1961), professionally known as Marguerite Derricks, is a former ballerina and a multi award-winning

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 ...

from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

.Bob Thompson, "A woman on the Go Go: Catchy Gap ad, Austin Powers' moves make choreographer a hot commodity," ''Kingston Whig - Standard''. Kingston, Ontario: July 5, 1999, pg. 27. Derricks studied ballet at the

National Ballet School of Canada Canada's National Ballet School, also commonly known as the National Ballet School of Canada, is a classical ballet school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, it is a provider of professional ballet tr ...

; she admired

Karen Kain Karen Alexandria Kain (born March 28, 1951) is a Canadian former ballet dancer, and was the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada from 2005 - 2021. Early training and childhood Kain's mother enrolled her daughter in ballet training ...

. Derricks was behind the choreography of two films similar in their subject matter, ''

Striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "ex ...

'' (1996) and '' Showgirls'' (1995). Some of her more noted works include the ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) and ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002). The films were produced an ...

'' films, ''

10 Things I Hate About You ''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten ...

'' (1999), '' Donnie Darko'' (2001), ''

Little Miss Sunshine ''Little Miss Sunshine'' is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film and the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. The film sta ...

'' (2006), and ''

Spider-Man 3 ''Spider-Man 3'' is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay by Raimi, his older brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent. It is the final installment in Raimi's ...

'' (2007). After the first ''Austin Powers'' film, she became famous and increased her reputation with an advertisement for

The Gap The Gap may refer to: Places Australia * The Gap, New South Wales, a locality near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales * The Gap, Northern Territory, a suburb of Alice Springs, Northern Territory * The Gap, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland ...

, "Go Go." During one interview, she said that with regard to her newfound popularity, "it all started with Mike yers" (the star of ''Austin Powers'') and added that "Go Go has changed my life." In 2006, Derricks choreographed '' Sister Act the Musical'', which had its world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse. In 2009, she served as the choreographer for director Kevin Tancharoen's remake of the movie ''Fame'', and for Gregory Boyd and Frank Wildhorn's musical " Wonderland" – a twist on the "

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

" children's story. Derricks also choreographed

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

's dance performance as the movie mogul Les Grossman in the 2008 film ''

Tropic Thunder ''Tropic Thunder'' is a 2008 satirical action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a gro ...

''.

Recognition

Derricks is the only choreographer to win three consecutive

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s: she won for her work on the television series ''

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

'' (1997), ''

Fame L.A. ''Fame L.A.'' is an American drama series that aired in syndication from 1997 to 1998. It told the story of a drama/dance school in Los Angeles where students honed their talents while overcoming various personal problems. It starred Heidi Noe ...

'' (1998), and the ''1998 Goodwill Games Ceremony'' (1999). In 2002, she won an

American Choreography Award The American Choreography Awards was a ceremony and show that honored outstanding choreographers in the fields of feature film, television, music videos, and commercials. They were first known as the L.A. Dance Awards (1994–95), then as Bob Fos ...

for her work on ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television Period piece, period teen sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the ficti ...

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

,
Awards for Marguerite Pomerhn Derricks
" URL accessed 18 January 2007. adding to two others for

"Go Go" and the short lived sitcom ''

Jenny Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of ...

'' starring Jenny McCarthy. She won an NAACP Award for Best Choreography for '' Sister Act the Musical''. She has also won four MTV Movie Awards for Best Dance (''

'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'', ''

'', and '' American Wedding'').

References

External links

*
Broadway Dance Center biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derricks, Marguerite 1961 births American choreographers American ballerinas Primetime Emmy Award winners Living people Artists from Buffalo, New York 21st-century American women