Gates Crisler is a freelance choreographer based in Philadelphia, PA. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master’s in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Along with choreographing, Gates works in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.
A performer from an early age, Gates began choreographing as a member of the nationally renowned Attaché Show Choir in Clinton, Mississippi under the direction of David Fehr. His first choreography job outside of Attaché occurred his junior year of high school when Verda Slinkard, director of Edgewood High School Music Warehouse in Indiana, invited him to choreograph. Since then, his show choir employment history includes adjudication and choreography for various junior high, high school and college groups around the country including Mt. Zion, IL; Onalaska, WI; Clinton, MS; Enterprise, AL; Neenah, WI; Waterloo, IA; Dubuque, IA, Opelika, AL; Papillion, NE; Tecumseh, MI; and Tupelo, MS.
Gates has choreographed many high school musical productions, includingGrease, High School Musical (I and II), Little Shop of Horrors, Footloose,Bye Bye Birdie!, Newsies, West Side Story, and Aida. For years he has been a counselor at Show Choir Camps of America in Decatur, IL and Tiffin, OH.
Gates has had the honor to learn from many amazing show choir educators and choreographers, including David and Mary Fehr, April James, Paul Gulsvig, and Dwight Jordan. Gates feels very lucky to be able to travel the country and work with such talented directors and amazing performers.
