Dan Knechtges () is a director and choreographer, for

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, opera, television, film and music videos."Dan Knechtges biography"
wrightwaymasterclasses.com, retrieved April 21, 2010 He is Artistic Director of Theatre Under the Stars in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas.

Life and career

Knechtges is from

Grafton, Ohio Grafton is a village in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, along the East Branch of the Black River. The population was 5,895 at the 2020 census. The Lorain Correctional Institution and several other prisons are located in and near Grafton. ...

and is a graduate of Midview High School and

Otterbein College Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio, United States. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Brethren founder, Philip William Otterbein. It has been as ...

(1994), with a degree in musical theatre."Talking With Choreographer Dan Knechtges"
. Playhousesquare.org, retrieved April 21, 2010 As a child, he took dance lessons in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the forks of the Black River (Ohio), Black River in Northeast Ohio, southwest of Cleveland. The population was 52,656 at the 2020 United States cens ...

, where his sister was taking lessons. Immediately after college, he moved to New York where he began to work as a dancer and teacher, and soon he was getting choreography jobs, including eight of the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

operas for the Blue Hill Troupe. Knechtges' work on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

as choreographer includes the musicals ''

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, created by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional ...

'' (2005), '' Xanadu'' (2007), '' 110 in the Shade'' (2007 revival), '' You May Now Worship Me'' (Special benefit concert, 2008), '' Sondheim on Sondheim'' (2010) and '' Lysistrata Jones'' (2011).Gans, Andrew
"Theatre Under the Stars Welcomes New Artistic Director"
''Playbill'', August 15, 2017 He received nominations for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

, Best Choreography and

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, Outstanding Choreography for ''Xanadu''. Knechtges' choreography for ''Sondheim on Sondheim'' was praised for making "excellent use of multiple layers offered to him by set designer Beowulf Boritt." His

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

work includes ''Nerds'' (2005); ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' (2005), for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Choreographer; '' Vanities: A New Musical'' (2009) (also at Theatreworks, California); and ''Citizen Ruth'' (

New York International Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across se ...

, 2009). In regional theatre, he choreographed ''The Girl in the Frame'' at the Norma Terris Theatre in

Chester, Connecticut Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a c ...

(2005) and both directed and choreographed ''Give It Up!'', with a book by Douglas Carter Beane at the

Dallas Theater Center The Dallas Theater Center is a major regional theater in Dallas, Texas, United States. It produces classic, contemporary, and new plays and was the 2017 Tony Award recipient for Best Regional Theater. Dallas Theater Center produces its original ...

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas (2010). Knechtges choreographed the music video for

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician and DJ who helped popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. His music makes extensive use of Sampling (music), samples from eclectic ...

's "It's a Wonderful Night. In 2008, in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...

, he choreographed a stage version of '' Der Schuh des Manitu''."Who's Who in the Cast: Dan Knechtges"
, Playbill.com, April 19, 2010, accessed May 26, 2015 He became the Artistic Director of Theatre Under the Stars in

, Texas in 2017.

References

External links

Official Site
*
Internet Off-Broadway Database listing"Otterbein College Dance Department 'Dance 2009'"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knechtges, Dan American choreographers American musical theatre directors Living people Musical theatre choreographers People from Lorain County, Ohio Year of birth missing (living people)