Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Choreographer of Footloose and Titanic, Has Died

Director and choreographe Lynne Taylor-Corbett has died.

On Broadway, Taylor-Corbett received dual Tony nominations for her direction and choreography of the 2000 revue Swing! She choreographed the musicals Chess and Titanic, as well as the Joan Rivers vehicle Sally Marr…and her escorts. Off-Broadway, Taylor-Corbett’s decades of credits include the award-winning Wanda’s World, the lauded My Vaudeville Man, and Cougar the Musical, among many other shows. She received a Joseph A. Callaway Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society in 2008.

A Denver-native, Taylor-Corbett moved to New York and joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, working as part of the Women’s Choreography Initiative. She took her experiences touring the Middle East with the company and turned it into the ballet Prayers From the Edge. Her work also includes the dance pieces Great Galloping Gottschalk, Carolina Jamboree, with music by the Red Clay Ramblers, and many others. Companies that commissioned her work include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Carolina Ballet. A production of her work Chiaroscuro will take place this spring at New York City Ballet.

On screen, Taylor-Corbett most notably choreographed the original film version of Footloose, as well as My Blue Heaven and Vanilla Sky. Additional work includes the choreography for the now-shuttered Aladdin, A Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure theme park, as well as The Lion King at Hong Kong Disney.

Her final project was the 2024 off-Broadway Native American pop musical Distant Thunder, which she directed and choreographed, as well as cowrote with a team that included her son, Shaun Taylor-Corbett.

Shaun Taylor-Corbett is among her survivors, as are her sisters Sharon, Kelly, Leslie, Jan, and Carol. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Amas Musical Theatre for the future of Distant Thunder, which includes a concept album and a 2026 regional production.