Ann Reinking Discusses Bob Fosse's Influence on Her After All These Years

If not for her skills as a dancer and choreographer, Broadway legend Ann Reinking is most known for her relationship with director and choreographer Bob Fosse. Once he saw her in PIPPIN in 1972, she became Fosse's protégé and romantic partner, with a relationship lasting until 1978.

So, what does Reinking have to say about Fosse all these years later? Ann recently talked to AZ Central to talk about not only her love for dancing, but Arizona, as even though she may have won a Tony Award for choreographing the 1996 revival of CHICAGO, she lives in Paradise Valley in an active semiretirement.

The interview asked her about Fosse, in which she said the most important thing she learned from him was his worth ethic.

"You always work until you can't work anymore on it, and never stop trying," she states. "His work ethic was so stellar that that was probably the greatest influence. That and having the privilege of working with him so many times. That was a home of sorts. I knew I belonged there, I knew I could do the work well, and I had the privilege and opportunity to stay in one thought process and one way of doing things, because he really kind created his own theater. But he worked 110 to 150 percent, and so did everybody around him, and it makes a huge difference."

To read what more about her love for Arizona and choreography, click here.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride