Wayne Louis Cilento (born August 28, 1949) is an American dancer and choreographer. He is best known for originating the role of "Mike" in the Broadway show A Chorus Line, and later becoming one of Broadway's most prolific choreographers.
Cilento was born in the Bronx, New York City, and later moved to suburban Westchester County. Though he attended one dance class when he was seven or eight, the teacher zeroed in on him; he panicked and didn't r...
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Wayne Louis Cilento (born August 28, 1949) is an American dancer and choreographer. He is best known for originating the role of "Mike" in the Broadway show A Chorus Line, and later becoming one of Broadway's most prolific choreographers.
Cilento was born in the Bronx, New York City, and later moved to suburban Westchester County. Though he attended one dance class when he was seven or eight, the teacher zeroed in on him; he panicked and didn't return. When he was in high school, he saw the original production of Cabaret and was so taken with the show, he decided "I really could do that." He auditioned for his high school musicals, got the dance leads, and started taking dance class twice a week. (He worried, but was never taunted as a "sissy"). He continued to study dance in college where he met his mentor Bill Glassman of the American Ballet Theater. "He was short and straight--someone I could use as a role model."
Not long after he married high school sweetheart Cathy Colety,...
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