Nigel Lythgoe: Dance bridges cultural differences

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Nigel LythgoeTV and film director Nigel Lythgoe talks about how dance has the power to bridge cultural differences.

English TV and film director Nigel Lythgoe is perhaps best known for creating the wildly successful television series Pop Idol, in the U.K. then, bringing it to the United States and launching the mega-hit, American Idol. But his roots in entertainment run far deeper.

Lythgoe began his career as a dancer in the British song and dance group, The Young Generation. He then went on to choreograph more than 500 shows in the U.K. and Europe, working with the likes of Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Chita Rivera and The Muppets.

He’s also the co-creator, producer and head judge on the Emmy Award-winning global talent show sensation So You Think You Can Dance. Lythgoe co-founded the Dizzy Feet Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting, improving and increasing access to dance education in the United States – an effort that goes far beyond than simply promoting the health benefits of dance.

 

Nigel Lythgoe: Dance bridges cultural differences

TV and film director Nigel Lythgoe talks about bridging cultural differences by dance

“Many people found they can express themselves better through movement rather than through verbal methods,” Lythgoe said.

Recently, Queen Elizabeth appointed Lythgoe to the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in education, charity and the performing arts.

Nigel Lythgoe joined May Lee in our Los Angeles studio to discuss how dance has the power to bridge cultural differences.