Bonnie Story (born March 18, 1959) is an American dancer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer. She is known for her work on the High School Musical film series and the television series So You Think You Can Dance.
Career
Story trained in ballet with Carolyn Barnett, Ben Lokey, Teri Port, Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski.
Her large-scale event work included serving as a co-choreographer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. She was also associate artistic director of Odyssey Dance Theatre.
Her film work included choreography for all three films in the High School Musical series, working with Kenny Ortega and Charles Klapow throughout the trilogy. For High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the production used more than 80 principal and featured dancers, with choreography encompassing styles including ballroom and break dancing. Story, Ortega and Klapow shared the 2006 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for High School Musical and received another nomination for High School Musical 2 in 2008.
Story's other work in 2008 included co-choreographing the MTV television film The American Mall with director Shawn Ku. Reviewing the film for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd praised their staging of its large musical numbers.
She later helped develop the Cirque du Soleil production Viva Elvis.
By August 2011, Story and the Treehouse Athletic Club were holding auditions in Draper, Utah, for Expansions, a program intended to prepare dancers for professional or company work.
The following year, she choreographed the musical Loving the Silent Tears.
Her later film credits included choreography for the 2016 motion-picture remake of the musical Saturday's Warrior.
Personal life
Story began dancing at approximately five years old after watching her older sister's classes. Her mother played piano for the dance school.
Story has five children. Her daughter Kelli Baker was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance (season 4).
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes2002Opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 Winter OlympicsCo-choreographer2004Pixel PerfectChoreographerDisney Channel Original Movie2006High School MusicalChoreographerDisney Channel Original Movie2007American PastimeChoreographerHSM2: Rehearsal CamHerself/choreographerVideo documentary shortHSM2: Anatomy of a Dance NumberHerself/choreographerVideo documentary shortHigh School Musical 2ChoreographerDisney Channel Original Movie2008The American MallChoreographerTelevision filmHigh School Musical 3: Senior YearChoreographerLock and Roll ForeverChoreographer2008–2014So You Think You Can DanceHerself/choreographerFour episodes2009HSM3: Prom-The Night of NightsHerselfVideo documentary short2013The Man Behind the ThroneHerselfDocumentaryDear Dumb DiaryAssistant choreographer2013–2015Rachel & The TreeSchoolersChoreographer/directorSeven episodes2014Signing Time! ChristmasChoreographer2016Saturday's WarriorChoreographer
References
External links