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Doriana Sanchez | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Choreographer, dancer, director |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Agent | Go 2 Talent Agency |
| Known for | Working with Cher |
| Notable work | Living Proof: The Farewell Tour So You Think You Can Dance Dirty Dancing |
| Father | Frank Sanchez (ballroom dancer and instructor) |
| Awards | World Choreography Awards — Concert Performance (2015) |
Doriana Sanchez is an American choreographer, dancer, and creative director. She is known for her work with singer Cher, including directing and choreographing Cher's concert tours and Las Vegas performances, and for creating disco choreography for the television series So You Think You Can Dance. She has also worked as a dancer, choreographer, and creative director in film, television, theater, and live entertainment.[1][2]
Early life and career
[edit]Sanchez began studying ballroom dance at the age of three with her father, Frank Sanchez, a ballroom dancer and instructor. She later trained in various dance styles with Pat Jackson in San Luis Obispo, California. At age 18, she moved to Los Angeles and began working as a dancer, performing in clubs and appearing in films including Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, Fast Forward, and Dirty Dancing. She subsequently transitioned into choreography, working with artists including Shakira, Peter Gabriel, and Jane's Addiction.[1][3]
Sanchez began working as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance during its first season in 2005. She became particularly associated with the show's disco routines and remained a resident choreographer for 16 seasons.[1][4][5]
In 2011, while working on Cher's residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Sanchez fell on a set piece during a performance and became partially paralyzed. She initially believed the resulting symptoms were related to her back, but her condition worsened to the point that she could no longer drive and was dragging one leg. Cher arranged for Sanchez to see her spine specialist in Los Angeles, where an MRI revealed a massive brain tumor. Sanchez subsequently suffered a seizure at Cher's home and was taken by ambulance to UCLA, where she underwent nearly 19 hours of brain surgery.[4][3]
Sanchez remained in the hospital for 10 days and subsequently underwent rehabilitation to relearn skills affected by the surgery. She returned to work later that year, choreographing a disco routine for Melanie Moore and Marko Germar to "I Feel Love" for the Top 4 performance of So You Think You Can Dance.[1][4]
Choreography and directing
[edit]Sanchez's work as a choreographer and director has included concert tours, television, theater, and live entertainment.
Work with Cher
[edit]Sanchez's long-running collaboration with Cher began after she and set designer Jeremy Railton worked together on the Dirty Dancing tour. Railton recalled that Sanchez introduced him to Cher and her management team after the tour, and that Cher subsequently asked Sanchez to give her dance lessons. The relationship developed into a creative partnership that spanned Cher's Love Hurts, Believe, and Living Proof tours, as well as Cher's Las Vegas performances at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Railton described Sanchez as his director and choreographer and recalled collaborating with Sanchez and Cher on the productions' visual concepts.[2]
Sanchez discussed her working relationship with Cher in the behind-the-scenes documentary included with the 2003 DVD release of Cher: The Farewell Tour. She recalled meeting Cher in 1987 after Cher saw her in Dirty Dancing and requested dance lessons. Sanchez subsequently taught Cher at her home for a video, and said she became an assistant choreographer on Cher's first tour before choreographing and directing her subsequent tours. Sanchez described their relationship as very close and said their collaboration involved interpreting Cher's desires for movement, lighting, sets, and costume design. She also credited Cher with teaching her about life and show business and with emphasizing the importance of enjoying one's work.[6]
Sanchez served as director and choreographer for the Do You Believe? Tour. Her choreography for the tour's HBO concert special, Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas, was nominated for Outstanding Choreography at the 2000 Primetime Emmy Awards.[7]
From 2008 to 2011, Sanchez directed and choreographed Cher's residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Contemporary material from AEG Live described her as the show's director and choreographer, responsible for translating Cher's creative vision into a production featuring dancers, aerialists, video, and elaborate set designs. The residency ultimately comprised more than 200 performances.[8][2]
For Cher's Dressed to Kill Tour in 2014, Sanchez served as show director. Lighting & Sound America reported that she had worked alongside Cher for approximately 30 years and that she and Cher collaborated with the production team on the show's concepts.[9]
Television and film
[edit]Sanchez developed an extensive career in television as a choreographer and director. Her television credits have included the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Divas Live, the MTV Europe Music Awards, and the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. She has also worked on Dancing with the Stars and The Voice, where TV Guide credits her with choreography and musical numbers direction. TV Guide also credits her as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and Peter Gabriel: Secret World Live.[10][11]
Before establishing herself primarily as a choreographer and director, Sanchez worked as a dancer in film. Her screen credits include Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984), Fast Forward (1985), Dirty Dancing (1987), and And God Created Woman (1988).[11][12]
Theater
[edit]Sanchez has worked extensively in stage, touring, and circus productions. Her theater credits include the world premiere of Señor Discretion Himself at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., for which she received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography, and Barry Manilow's Copacabana at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. She also choreographed The Night Is a Child at the Pasadena Playhouse and Blade to the Heat at the Mark Taper Forum.[10][5]
In 2001, Sanchez served as writer, director, and choreographer of Circo Fantastico!, a two-hour circus production celebrating Hispanic culture through music, dance, and traditional circus acts.[13] She later created and directed Galaxy Stars, a circus production in China featuring more than 150 international performers, and created Odyssey for Princess Cruises.[10][5]
Her additional directing and choreography credits have included Video Games Live, Jane's Addiction's Jubilee Tour, Peter Gabriel's Secret World Tour, and the Dirty Dancing Concert Tour.[5]
Selected works
[edit]| Year(s) | Work | Type | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo | Film | Foxy Nurse Dancer | [11] |
| 1985 | Fast Forward | Film | Caesar's Gang Member | [11] |
| 1987 | Dirty Dancing | Film | Dirty Dancer | [1] |
| 1988 | And God Created Woman | Film | Alice | [11] |
| 1988 | Dirty Dancing Concert Tour | Concert tour | Director, choreographer | [2][14] |
| 1990–1991 | Copacabana | Musical | Choreographer | [15] |
| 1991–1992 | Love Hurts Tour | Concert tour by Cher | Director, choreographer | [2] |
| 1993–1994 | Secret World Tour | Concert tour by Peter Gabriel | Choreographer | [11] |
| 1996 | Blade to the Heat | Play | Choreographer | [10][5] |
| 1996–1997 | Good God's Urge Tour | Concert tour by Porno for Pyros | Director, choreographer | [5][16][17] |
| 1999–2000 | Do You Believe? Tour | Concert tour by Cher | Director, choreographer | [2] |
| 2001 | Circo Fantastico! | Circus | Writer, director, choreographer | [13] |
| 2001 | Jubilee Tour | Concert tour by Jane's Addiction | Director, choreographer | [18][5] |
| 2002–2005 | Living Proof: The Farewell Tour | Concert tour by Cher | Director, choreographer | [2] |
| 2004 | Galaxy Stars | Circus | Director, choreographer | [19] |
| 2004 | Señor Discretion Himself | Musical | Choreographer | [20] |
| 2005–2019 | So You Think You Can Dance | Television | Resident choreographer | [1][21] |
| 2006 | Video Games Live | Concert production | Director, choreographer | [5][22] |
| 2008–2011 | Cher at the Colosseum | Concert residency by Cher | Director, choreographer | [2] |
| 2009 | The Night Is a Child | Play | Choreographer | [10] |
| 2010 | Lake of Dreams | Multimedia spectacle at Resorts World Sentosa | Director, choreographer | [10][23] |
| 2010 | Crane Dance | Multimedia spectacle | Choreographer | [24][25] |
| 2014 | Dressed to Kill Tour | Concert tour by Cher | Show director | [9] |
| 2017–2018 | Imaginarium | Magic show at Tropicana Las Vegas | Director, choreographer | [26][27] |
| Odyssey | Circus for Princess Cruises | Creator, director | [10][5] | |
| Cirque Dreams Holidaze | Circus | Creative consultant | [28] |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2000 | Outstanding Choreography | Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas | Nominated | [29] |
| Helen Hayes Awards | 2005 | Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production | Señor Discretion Himself | Nominated | [30] |
| World Choreography Awards | 2015 | Concert Performance | Cher, Burlesque Prologue | Won | [31] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Doriana Sanchez". Dance Spirit. 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Railton, Jeremy (2017-04-17). "Jeremy Railton: A designer's notebook". InPark Magazine. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 "Meet Doriana Sanchez". VoyageLA. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 3 Tangcay, Jazz (2020-07-06). "'So You Think You Can Dance' Choreographer on How Cher Saved Her Life". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Doriana Sanchez". Encore Performing Arts. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ Cher: The Farewell Tour (DVD). Image Entertainment. 2003. 0759.
- ↑ "Cher: Live In Concert - From The MGM Grand In Las". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Cher Celebrates 100th Performance at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace". AEG Live. 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 "Cher Dressed to Kill" (PDF). Lighting & Sound America. June 2014. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Doriana Sanchez". Go 2 Talent Agency. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Doriana Sanchez List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Doriana Sanchez". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- 1 2 "Circus Has a Familiar Ring to Latinos". Los Angeles Times. 2001-11-07. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "73-Track Clapton Collection Issued" (PDF). Billboard. 1988-04-30. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ Darrow, Chuck (2025-09-25). "Remembering when Barry Manilow brought 'Copacabana' to the Boardwalk". Shore Local Newsmagazine. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Porno For Pyros - October 30, 1996 - Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles, CA". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Porno for Pyros Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Tour Date & Live Appearance Histories". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ Rushton-Read, Sarah (2004-02-06). "Martin at Panyu Chime-Long Night Zoo". LSi Online. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ Marks, Peter (2004-04-18). "'Senor Discretion,' Modest for a Reason". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Doriana Sanchez". Class Act Dance. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Tunes that go to the next level". Los Angeles Times. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Resorts World Sentosa Soft-Opens Singapore's First Casino, New Attractions". Travelwerke. 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "VIDEO: Bird Watching With Jeremy Railton At Crane Dance". Live Design. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Love birds take flight on Christmas Day" (PDF). Resorts World Sentosa. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Grand Illusionist David Goldrake To Unveil All-New 'Imaginarium' Show At Tropicana Las Vegas" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ Harris, Jason (2017-06-23). "Q&A: David Goldrake". Las Vegas Magazine. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Cirque Dreams Holidaze: The Program" (PDF). Cirque Dreams. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Outstanding Choreography 2000 - Nominees & Winners Emmy Awards". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "Nominees & Recipients Database". TheatreWashington. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ "WINNERS 2015 – World Choreography Awards". worldchoreographyawards.com. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:American women choreographers Category:Living people Category:American female dancers