ABSTRACT
The vocal choreography (a term usefully invented by African American dancer/choreographer Cholly Atkins to describe his work with singing groups) of Motown acts was highly sophisticated and effective, and it proved to be a crucial element of the record label’s success. While all vocal groups of the period included synchronized gesture and dance steps in their performances, Atkins is generally the only choreographer to be recognized widely for his efforts in this area. His language of sophisticated movements for singers on stage required them to “perform their music, not by retelling a song’s storyline in predictable pantomime, but by punctuating it with rhythmical dance steps, turns, and gestures drawn from the rich bedrock of American vernacular dance.” 1 Atkins began choreographing singers in his late forties after a distinguished career as a jazz and tap dancer, having performed with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Cab Calloway, and he derived many of his moves for singers from chorus lines of the 1940s. Before accepting a full-time position at Motown, he worked with acts such as the Cadillacs, the Shirelles, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
