Cholly Atkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cholly Atkins
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| Born |
Charles Sylvan Atkinson
September 13, 1913 Pratt City, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | April 19, 2003 (aged 89) |
| Other names | "The Man with the Moves" |
| Occupation | Choreographer, dancer |
| Spouse(s) |
Catherine Williams
(m. 1936; div. 1944)Dottie Saulters
(m. 1944; died 1962)Maye Harrison
(before 2003) |
| Awards |
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Charles "Cholly" Atkins (born Charles Sylvan Atkinson; September 13, 1913 – April 19, 2003) was an amazing American dancer and choreographer. He was especially famous for creating the cool dance moves for many popular music groups on the Motown record label. People often called him "The Man with the Moves" because he helped singers look great on stage.
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Cholly Atkins: The Man with the Moves
Cholly Atkins was born in Pratt City, Alabama. He started dancing in the late 1930s. In 1942, he joined the U.S. Army during World War II.
Early Dance Career
After leaving the Army, Cholly Atkins became famous as half of a dance team called Atkins & Coles. His partner was Charles "Honi" Coles. They were a top act in vaudeville, which was a popular type of stage show with different performers like dancers, singers, and comedians.
Atkins and Coles first performed at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. They traveled all over the country and even internationally. They performed with big jazz and swing bands led by famous musicians like Louis Armstrong and Count Basie. From 1949 to 1952, they also performed on Broadway in a show called Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Motown's Dance Master
In the mid-1950s, Cholly Atkins started teaching dance steps to singing groups. This was a new style he called "vocal choreography." It meant that singers would use stylish hand gestures and dance steps to make their performances even better.
He worked with groups like The Cadillacs, The Shirelles, and Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers. In 1964, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, hired Cholly Atkins. He became the main choreographer for Motown artists.
Cholly created the famous dance routines for many Motown stars. These included The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Marvelettes, and Gladys Knight & The Pips. His moves became a special part of the Motown sound. He continued working with Motown artists even into the 1980s. He also choreographed for other groups like the Sylvers and The O'Jays.
Awards and Later Work
In 1989, Cholly Atkins won a special award called a Tony Award. This award is given for excellence in Broadway theater. He won it for choreographing the Broadway show Black and Blue.
In 1993, he received a three-year fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. This allowed him to visit colleges and universities to teach his unique "vocal choreography" style. He kept teaching dance in Las Vegas until February 2003.
His Final Years
Cholly Atkins was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2003. He passed away from the cancer a few weeks later, on April 19, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was almost 90 years old.
Cholly's Family Life
Cholly Atkins was married three times.
- He married Catherine Gayle Williams on November 27, 1936. She was also a dancer. After leaving show business, Catherine earned a master's degree and had a successful career in social work. In 1980, she was honored by being inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
- He later married Dorothy ("Dottie") Lee Saulters on September 2, 1944. Dottie became his dance partner in 1942.
- His last marriage was to Maye Ollie Harrison. They were married until his death in 2003.
