Steve Thomas Merritt (January 17, 1945 – January 26, 1993)[1] was an American dancer and choreographer.
Steve Merritt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Steve Thomas Michaels Ferraro January 17, 1945 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 26, 1993 (aged 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Steve Thomas Merritt |
| Occupation(s) | Choreographer Dancer |
| Years active | mid-1960s – late-1980s |
| Notable work | Dream Street 61st Academy Awards opening number |
Together with Nancy and Ronnie Horowitz and Mark Donnelly, Merritt created the musical Dream Street, which played in Las Vegas from 1983 to 1987. Merritt and Donnelly also conceived the Broadway-style format for the Chippendales show. In 1989, Merritt choreographed the opening number of the 61st Academy Awards presentation.
He was born as Steve Thomas Michael Ferraro in San Jose, California, in 1945. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s and studied dance under David Winter while working as a dancer on a local television show called The Farmer John Dance Show.
He created the Solid Gold Dancers and performed on Casey Kasem's weekly Top Forty Countdown television show.
Death
editMerritt died of AIDS in 1993 at age 48 leaving his mother, father, a brother, a sister, a half-brother and a half-sister.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Steve Merritt, dancer, noted choreographer" (Obituary), San Jose Mercury News, January 30, 1993, page 6B.
- ^ Obituary, The New York Times (January 31, 1993).