Choreographer, actor, dancer and theatrical producer, writer, conceptualist.
David Atkins comes from a family of popular entertainers, his mother having been a Tivoli girl and his grandmother a vaudeville artist. He began taking dancing lessons at age seven (including jazz, classical, ballet, tap and modern dance), making his his professional debut at the age of twelve as the juvenile lead in the musical Mame. He later studied in New York. While in the United States he performed in many musicals, including A Chorus Line (1977), with this production firmly establishing his reputation both in Australia and overseas. He has directed and choreographed numerous theatrical productions, several of which he conceived himself (including Dancin' Man, Dynamite and Dancin' Dynamite), along with the film musical Starstruck (1982). In 1994 Atkins produced and starred in arguably his most successful musical creation, Hot Shoe Shuffle. It premiered to much acclaim in London before touring successfully in Australia. Devised by Atkins and Max Lambert, the libretto for Hot Shoe Shuffle was written by Larry Buttrose and Kathryn Riding, with the music taken from a variety of Broadway musicals.
Although highly acclaimed as a dancer and choreographer, Atkins' career has also been heavily involved in many other areas of the entertainment industry. As a film and television actor he undertook the lead role for the film Squizzy Taylor, and has appeared in numerous television series, including Ryan, Glenview High, The Dunerra Boys, Homicide, Cop Shop, The Young Doctors, Matlock Police and Rafferty's Rules. He has also choreographed the dance sequences for a number of films, including Starstruck, The Pirate Movie and High Tide, as well as such theatrical productions as A Very Good Year (Stables Theatre), The Pirates of Penzance (Victoria State Opera) and MTC's Threepenny Opera. In addition he has also won an MTV Award for the dance sequence to an Elton John video clip. As a producer he has worked on such shows as the Australian production of Grease, and in 1993 he won a Mo Award for his contribution to Australian musical theatre.
In 1997 Atkins suffered a professional setback when his Australian production of The Little House of Horrors failed at the box-office and almost broke him financially (draining all the money he made from Hot Shoe Shuffle). Since then, however, he has continued to be a force in musical productions. In 2000 he and Ric Burch, the Sydney Olympics Artistic Director, oversaw the conceptual design and production of the massively successful Opening and Closing ceremonies. Atkins, who has since produced the Man from Snowy River Arena Spectacular (2002), and overseen an Australian national tour of Hot Shoe Shuffle (2002), is married to former Australian Ballet principal, Sheree da Costa.
