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Jaime Juan Rogers (May 13, 1940 – January 4, 2024), pronounced and sometimes credited as Hymie Rogers,Bill McCormick, "Broadway has Best Fight", The Tennessean, December 27, 1964, p. 81Robert Musel, Audition's a Ball, Fort Lauderdale News, September 5, 1969, p. 69 was an American dancer, choreographer, and director. Nominated for an Emmy in 1976, and perhaps best known for his work with Sammy Davis Jr. in the Broadway theatre musical Golden Boy, for choreographing the TV series Fame and his part in the film West Side Story,Green, S. (1981). Encyclopaedia of the musical film. Italy: Oxford University Press., p298 his career spanned the stage, film and television.
Rogers began dancing at the age of four, taught by his sister Polly. Together, they were child stars on the Latin variety show Spanish Hour.Billman, L. (1997). Film choreographers and dance directors: an illustrated biographical encyclopedia, with a history and filmographies, 1893 through 1995, p. 470, United Kingdom: McFarland & Company. Rogers trained at the High School of Performing ArtsSalli Stevenson, Jaime Rogers: Fame's New Kid on the Block, Los Angeles Times, September 8, 1985, p. 367 and The Juilliard School. He also trained in karate.
In 1961, he played Loco, a member of the Sharks gang in the film West Side Story. He appeared on Broadway in Golden Boy, Flower Drum Song, Annie Get Your Gun,George Oppenheimer, "Ethel Merman returns in Annie Get Your Gun", Newsday (Nassau Edition) June 1, 1966, p. 103 Finian's Rainbow, Wildcat, Kicks and Co., We Take the Town with Robert Preston, and Bravo Giovanni. "Jaime Juan Rogers: 1940–2024", Dance Educator in Memoriam 2023–2024, National Dance Education Organsation In the musical Golden Boy, he played alongside Sammy Davis Jr. as He-Who-Gets-Killed. The show climaxed in a fight scene between the two,John Chapman, Sammy Davis, Jaime Rogers, Give Musical Golden Boy Sock Finish Daily News, October 21, 1964, p. 172 choreographed by Donald McKayle. When Davis later that year hosted the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, he invited Rogers on to the show to do a dance piece.Percy Shain, "Nightwatch", The Boston Globe, November 25, 1964, p. 11 Rogers later choreographed the London production of Golden Boy.
At the age of 25, Rogers decided to concentrate his career on choreography. His work as a choreographer and director included over 40 television series and 30 specials across the globe. His producing credits included thirty-three episodes of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Ben Vereen, and Emmy Awards. He choreographed the 1968 Elvis Presley Comeback Special. In 1976, Rogers was nominated for an Emmy for his choreography in Mary Tyler Moore’s special Mary’s Incredible Dream. In 1978 he choreographed the film Ringo, starring Ringo Starr. Rogers was a founding director of the Inner City Repertory Dance Company ("ICRDC") along with Donald McKayle and Janet Collins in 1971.Bernard Cole, "Inner City Plans Dance Premiere", The Daily Breeze, May 13, 1971, p. 20Erwin Washington, "Inner City Troupe: A company at the crossroads", The Los Angeles Times, November 4, 1973, p. 538 During the 1971-72 television season, her served as choreographer on the NBC series The Dean Martin Show and the weekly syndicated series Chevrolet Presents The Golddiggers, both produced by Greg Garrison.
In 1985, he replaced Debbie Allen as choreographer for 48 episodes of the TV series Fame. Rogers choreographed other TV series and films including Breakin', Wholly Moses, Caddyshack, and Americathon.Billman, L. (1997). Film choreographers and dance directors: an illustrated biographical encyclopedia, with a history and filmographies, 1893 through 1995. United Kingdom: McFarland & Company, p. 536 The Los Angeles Times described his style as an "exuberant, modern dance-based combination of geometrically balanced lines, driving rhythms and explosive leaps and turns". Rogers produced numerous Las Vegas acts, working with stars such as Juliet Prowse, Wayne Newton, Rita Moreno, and Joan Rivers. He also produced U.S. and global concert tours for such groups as Sha Na Na, The Jackson Five, The Temptations, and Gladys Knight & the Pips and worked with Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, The Doors, David Copperfield, and The Rolling Stones. ArcInfo, The Colombier Theatre welcomes the famous choreographer Jaime Rogers, 16 Oct 2010
In 2005, Rogers was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Les Horton Dance Award ceremony.Lewis Segal, Lewis. The Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2006, p. 43
Rogers died in Los Angeles on January 4, 2024, at the age of 83. "Jaime Rogers", Emmys.com. Retrieved October 13, 2024 He was survived by his wife, Austrian-born actress and dancer, Ina Haybaeck-Rogers (born 1975).
Personal life and death
In 1962, Rogers married dancer Barbara Dell Alexander and their son Jaime Juan Rogers Jr. ("Jimmy") was born the same year. In 1972, he married the dancer and actress Lee Lund (1943–2021). Lee attended Juilliard after Rogers graduated. She had also started her professional career dancing on Broadway and later moved to the West Coast where she married Rogers. In 1974 they had a daughter, Ambere Birthdate: 26 Nov 1974; Birth County: Los Angeles, Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905-1995 database. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Fitzpatrick, Jackie. "The View from Milford; Three Generations, Four Dancers and a Five, Six, Seven, Eight", The New York Times, May 12, 1991, Section 12CN, p. 2 and later divorced in 1981.
Credits
Theatre
Film
Television
Concert tours and productions
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