February 28, 2025 • 9 mins
He was the dancer Jerome Robbins trusted with his legacy… and the choreographer Mel Brooks turned to for some of the most outrageous, unforgettable dance sequences in Hollywood history.
From Broadway to the Oscars stage, from classic musical theatre to slapstick comedy — his influence shaped generations of dancers.
Yet somehow, his name faded into the background.
Until now.
Because today, we tell his story.
And by the end, you'll know his name.
Watch on YouTube for amazing footage of Alan Johnson's work!
Check out my Return to Dance docuseries!
Support my Instagram — where I post daily dance inspo, insights and fun! @backtogreat
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'm not a psychic or anything, but I'm willing to bet that your social media like mine is
(00:07):
filled with dance content.
That algorithm is smart and she knows exactly what you want to see.
So one day, like any other day, I'm scrolling social media, Instagram in this case to be specific,
and it's dance, dance, dance, and all of a sudden, one video makes me as they say, stop
the scroll.
(00:27):
It seems to be a variety show from maybe the early 80s, just kind of had that vibe, that
style.
And I immediately see Debbie Allen.
And this helps me place the era, you know, because she's quite young and she's taking
the lead.
And there are dancers behind her.
And it's just so fun and great choreography, great energy.
(00:48):
And then I see that, wait, there are a few other dancers like Debbie taking the lead, including
this one guy.
And all of a sudden, I can't stop watching him.
He was so smooth and graceful and had that sort of, I think, innate musicality on top of
(01:08):
incredible technique.
And I'm like, who is this guy?
So I go read the caption and nothing.
And I'm like, what?
So I think I even left a comment, like, help somebody tell me who is this guy?
What is this show?
But I have no patience.
So I run to Google and I'm just slew thing, doing my thing and somehow by the grace of my
(01:31):
amazing detective skills, I find the variety show and then discover the name of this guy.
So then I Google him and I'm immediately embarrassed and shocked because he's a legend.
And I had never heard of him.
(01:51):
He was born in Pennsylvania, the son of a shipyard worker and a waitress.
Not exactly the expected start for a future dance legend.
His mother enrolled him in dance classes early on.
By the time he graduated high school, his dance teacher urged him to go to New York.
And so at just 18, he arrived in the city, hungry to prove himself.
(02:14):
Within just two years, he did.
He was 1957 and Broadway was about to change forever.
A new kind of musical was about to open.
One word dance wasn't just entertainment.
It was the storytelling.
West Side Story.
He auditioned and got the job, starting as an understudy for the shark roles of Pepe and
(02:36):
Nibbles.
Later, he stepped into the roles of A-Rab, Pepe and Nibbles as a replacement.
He immersed in the groundbreaking movement style of Jerome Robbins.
He became deeply connected to the show.
He absorbed everything.
Every detail of Jerome Robbins' choreography, every nuance in the movement, every trick of
(02:57):
staging.
And when Robbins needed someone to restage West Side Story in the years that followed, he
called the one person he trusted most.
Meaning, if you've seen West Side Story perform to live in the latter half of the 20th
century, there's a good chance you're watching a version that our guy had a hand in restaging,
(03:18):
or that was influenced by his work in preserving Robbins' choreography.
But dance friends, this was all just the beginning.
At some point in those early years in New York, he met a comedian named Mel Brooks.
Brooks wasn't yet the Hollywood powerhouse he would become, but he was already bursting
with ideas.
(03:39):
They met socially at parties through mutual friends, and when Brooks described the kind of
choreography he envisioned for a scene in his new film, this young dancer turned choreographer
had some thoughts of his own.
Brooks had already hired another choreographer, but when that fell through, he turned to the
man he'd been bouncing ideas off for months, the one who understood not just dance, but
(04:05):
movement as comedy.
The movie, the producers, the scene, springtime for Hitler.
The number had one goal to be so over the top, so outlandish that audiences wouldn't know
whether to gasp or laugh.
Feathered showgirls in swastikas, marching dancers, high-kicking in unison, the most absurd,
(04:27):
tasteless and spectacular sequence ever filmed.
And it was his job to choreograph it.
She think that's an odd gig for a Broadway-trained dancer with a Robbins pedigree just wait, because
that movie launched a decades-long partnership.
From blazing saddles to young Frankenstein, from history of the world, part one, to to be
(04:49):
or not to be, he became Mel Brooks, go to choreographer.
The man who made Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle tap dance and put in on the ritz, the mastermind
behind Dom Delewese's ridiculous yet perfectly timed soft shoe in the French mistake.
It takes a very specific talent to make dance funny, only a few ever master it.
(05:14):
And he had it, but comedy wasn't all he did.
His influence extended far beyond the world of Mel Brooks.
He brought the Robbins style to mainstream audiences with a West Side story inspired
commercial for the Gap, earning an American choreography award.
He won Emmys for choreographing TV specials with Jack Lemmon and Shirley McLean.
(05:37):
He choreographed the Tonys, the Oscars, the Grammys, if it had dance and it had style.
There was a good chance this guy was behind it, a dancer, a director, a choreographer, a guardian
of movement history.
And yet, he never sought the spotlight.
His name wasn't on Marquis.
His face wasn't famous, but his work, his work was unforgettable.
(06:00):
The dancers who performed his numbers felt it.
The audiences, like me on Instagram, who have been moved to laughter, joy, or even tears
because of his dancing or choreography, felt it.
His name, Alan Johnson.
And now you know the rest of the story.
All right, dance fam, be honest.
(06:21):
As you heard of Alan Johnson, maybe it's an age thing, a generational thing.
I like to pride myself on knowing those way before my time.
And like I said at the beginning, I was a little mortified that this guy was so influential
in the world of choreography.
And I hadn't heard of him.
I didn't give my usual intro on this podcast.
I wanted to get right into my story.
(06:43):
So hi, my name is Miller Daurey and the host of Hey Dancer and this weekly series called
The Rest of the Story where I introduce to you dance legends, icons, and moments in dance
history.
You maybe know already, but don't know enough of or maybe you didn't ever hear about
like me with Alan Johnson.
(07:04):
If you enjoyed the episode, I always love it if you share with your dance fam and also take
a moment to review and rate, follow, subscribe, like it on YouTube, comment on Spotify or YouTube
or review it on Apple, all the things.
It really does help a podcaster out.
I might suggest if you're only listening to the podcast to check it out on YouTube, that
(07:28):
link will be in the show notes in the episode description because you know, to watch this
guy dance is just so cool.
And you get to see the original variety show where I first discovered him and what was ultimately
the impetus for this podcast.
I also want to say if you don't know how unbelievably crucial it is to restate the story.
Stage, a show, you know, if we keep changing the choreography and staging of in this case
(07:54):
West Side Story to fit modern trends at some point, we're just left with the name.
The original vision, you know, the movement, the storytelling through dance just fades away.
But because of Alan Johnson, that didn't happen.
His dedication to keeping the choreography alive means audiences today can still see West Side
(08:17):
Story the way it was meant to be.
While the list of dance grates is infinite from, you know, dancers to choreographers and
moments in dance history, and I could probably spend the rest of my life doing this weekly
series and still not cover, you know, 1% of all the dance grates out there.
(08:38):
If you have anyone you love, I'm open to suggestions and, you know, I'll take your recommendation
and if I'm inspired by that person or that particular moment in history, then I'd be happy
to shout you out and do an episode on that.
So hit me up, you know, Instagram at back to great.
(09:01):
Leave a comment maybe if you're watching on a platform that allows comments and that's
all I got for this week.
I'll see you next time.
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
[KNOCKING]
I'm not a psychic or anything, but I'm willing to bet that your social media like mine is
(00:07):
filled with dance content.
That algorithm is smart and she knows exactly what you want to see.
So one day, like any other day, I'm scrolling social media, Instagram in this case to be specific,
and it's dance, dance, dance, and all of a sudden, one video makes me as they say, stop
the scroll.
(00:27):
It seems to be a variety show from maybe the early 80s, just kind of had that vibe, that
style.
And I immediately see Debbie Allen.
And this helps me place the era, you know, because she's quite young and she's taking
the lead.
And there are dancers behind her.
And it's just so fun and great choreography, great energy.
(00:48):
And then I see that, wait, there are a few other dancers like Debbie taking the lead, including
this one guy.
And all of a sudden, I can't stop watching him.
He was so smooth and graceful and had that sort of, I think, innate musicality on top of
(01:08):
incredible technique.
And I'm like, who is this guy?
So I go read the caption and nothing.
And I'm like, what?
So I think I even left a comment, like, help somebody tell me who is this guy?
What is this show?
But I have no patience.
So I run to Google and I'm just slew thing, doing my thing and somehow by the grace of my
(01:31):
amazing detective skills, I find the variety show and then discover the name of this guy.
So then I Google him and I'm immediately embarrassed and shocked because he's a legend.
And I had never heard of him.
(01:51):
He was born in Pennsylvania, the son of a shipyard worker and a waitress.
Not exactly the expected start for a future dance legend.
His mother enrolled him in dance classes early on.
By the time he graduated high school, his dance teacher urged him to go to New York.
And so at just 18, he arrived in the city, hungry to prove himself.
(02:14):
Within just two years, he did.
He was 1957 and Broadway was about to change forever.
A new kind of musical was about to open.
One word dance wasn't just entertainment.
It was the storytelling.
West Side Story.
He auditioned and got the job, starting as an understudy for the shark roles of Pepe and
(02:36):
Nibbles.
Later, he stepped into the roles of A-Rab, Pepe and Nibbles as a replacement.
He immersed in the groundbreaking movement style of Jerome Robbins.
He became deeply connected to the show.
He absorbed everything.
Every detail of Jerome Robbins' choreography, every nuance in the movement, every trick of
(02:57):
staging.
And when Robbins needed someone to restage West Side Story in the years that followed, he
called the one person he trusted most.
Meaning, if you've seen West Side Story perform to live in the latter half of the 20th
century, there's a good chance you're watching a version that our guy had a hand in restaging,
(03:18):
or that was influenced by his work in preserving Robbins' choreography.
But dance friends, this was all just the beginning.
At some point in those early years in New York, he met a comedian named Mel Brooks.
Brooks wasn't yet the Hollywood powerhouse he would become, but he was already bursting
with ideas.
(03:39):
They met socially at parties through mutual friends, and when Brooks described the kind of
choreography he envisioned for a scene in his new film, this young dancer turned choreographer
had some thoughts of his own.
Brooks had already hired another choreographer, but when that fell through, he turned to the
man he'd been bouncing ideas off for months, the one who understood not just dance, but
(04:05):
movement as comedy.
The movie, the producers, the scene, springtime for Hitler.
The number had one goal to be so over the top, so outlandish that audiences wouldn't know
whether to gasp or laugh.
Feathered showgirls in swastikas, marching dancers, high-kicking in unison, the most absurd,
(04:27):
tasteless and spectacular sequence ever filmed.
And it was his job to choreograph it.
She think that's an odd gig for a Broadway-trained dancer with a Robbins pedigree just wait, because
that movie launched a decades-long partnership.
From blazing saddles to young Frankenstein, from history of the world, part one, to to be
(04:49):
or not to be, he became Mel Brooks, go to choreographer.
The man who made Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle tap dance and put in on the ritz, the mastermind
behind Dom Delewese's ridiculous yet perfectly timed soft shoe in the French mistake.
It takes a very specific talent to make dance funny, only a few ever master it.
(05:14):
And he had it, but comedy wasn't all he did.
His influence extended far beyond the world of Mel Brooks.
He brought the Robbins style to mainstream audiences with a West Side story inspired
commercial for the Gap, earning an American choreography award.
He won Emmys for choreographing TV specials with Jack Lemmon and Shirley McLean.
(05:37):
He choreographed the Tonys, the Oscars, the Grammys, if it had dance and it had style.
There was a good chance this guy was behind it, a dancer, a director, a choreographer, a guardian
of movement history.
And yet, he never sought the spotlight.
His name wasn't on Marquis.
His face wasn't famous, but his work, his work was unforgettable.
(06:00):
The dancers who performed his numbers felt it.
The audiences, like me on Instagram, who have been moved to laughter, joy, or even tears
because of his dancing or choreography, felt it.
His name, Alan Johnson.
And now you know the rest of the story.
All right, dance fam, be honest.
(06:21):
As you heard of Alan Johnson, maybe it's an age thing, a generational thing.
I like to pride myself on knowing those way before my time.
And like I said at the beginning, I was a little mortified that this guy was so influential
in the world of choreography.
And I hadn't heard of him.
I didn't give my usual intro on this podcast.
I wanted to get right into my story.
(06:43):
So hi, my name is Miller Daurey and the host of Hey Dancer and this weekly series called
The Rest of the Story where I introduce to you dance legends, icons, and moments in dance
history.
You maybe know already, but don't know enough of or maybe you didn't ever hear about
like me with Alan Johnson.
(07:04):
If you enjoyed the episode, I always love it if you share with your dance fam and also take
a moment to review and rate, follow, subscribe, like it on YouTube, comment on Spotify or YouTube
or review it on Apple, all the things.
It really does help a podcaster out.
I might suggest if you're only listening to the podcast to check it out on YouTube, that
(07:28):
link will be in the show notes in the episode description because you know, to watch this
guy dance is just so cool.
And you get to see the original variety show where I first discovered him and what was ultimately
the impetus for this podcast.
I also want to say if you don't know how unbelievably crucial it is to restate the story.
Stage, a show, you know, if we keep changing the choreography and staging of in this case
(07:54):
West Side Story to fit modern trends at some point, we're just left with the name.
The original vision, you know, the movement, the storytelling through dance just fades away.
But because of Alan Johnson, that didn't happen.
His dedication to keeping the choreography alive means audiences today can still see West Side
(08:17):
Story the way it was meant to be.
While the list of dance grates is infinite from, you know, dancers to choreographers and
moments in dance history, and I could probably spend the rest of my life doing this weekly
series and still not cover, you know, 1% of all the dance grates out there.
(08:38):
If you have anyone you love, I'm open to suggestions and, you know, I'll take your recommendation
and if I'm inspired by that person or that particular moment in history, then I'd be happy
to shout you out and do an episode on that.
So hit me up, you know, Instagram at back to great.
(09:01):
Leave a comment maybe if you're watching on a platform that allows comments and that's
all I got for this week.
I'll see you next time.
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
[KNOCKING]
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