Short Biography

Toni Basil (born Antonia Christina Basilotta; September 22, 1943) is an American musician, video artist, actress and choreographer. Basil was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a vaudevillian and her father was an orchestra leader. Basil is a prolific choreographer who began as assistant choreographer on Shindig! an American music variety show which was broadcast on the ABC network from September 16, 1964, to January 8, 1966. She appeared in the 1964 concert film The T.A.M.I. Show and was quite prominent as one of the go-go dancers, along with fellow dancer and friend Teri Garr. In addition, she is frequently credited with bringing street dance to prominence with The Urban Campbellocking group, The Lockers. She choreographed David Byrne`s memorable, marionette-style dance from the music video for the Talking Heads song "Once in a Lifetime". She worked with Talking Heads again to direct and choreograph the music video for the song "Crosseyed and Painless". She also choreographed David Bowie`s Diamond Dogs Tour in 1974 and Glass Spider Tour in 1987, and has worked with Bette Midler for many years, most recently on her 2008 Las Vegas show The Showgirl Must Go On. She is currently serving as the associate director and choreographer of the Tina Turner Live in Concert Tour. Her expertise as a choreographer led her to be invited to sit as a judge in season four of Fox Television`s So You Think You Can Dance. Her film choreography work includes Pajama Party (1964), George Lucas`s American Graffiti (1973) and The Monkees` 1968 film, Head, in which she makes an appearance as a dancer during "Daddy`s Song" with Davy Jones. Other notable choreography work credited to Basil can be found in the films Delirious (2006), That Thing You Do (1996), and My Best Friend`s Wedding (1997).

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