Bio

Ginger Thatcher is currently Associate Choreographer/Assistant Director, for the new West End musical, Little Dancer, with Susan Stroman, Director and Choreographer, which premiered on London’s West End on July 27th, 2025. She has choreographed over 40 works for theatre, film, TV, concert dance and opera. A former Principal dancer with Cleveland Ballet, she joined the Lar Lubovitch Dance Co. in 1990 performing, Internationally, until 1993. She joined Lar as Assistant Choreographer for The Red Shoes, on Broadway. She recently staged Take Five, More or Less, by Susan Stroman for St. Louis Ballet. She is currently staging Othello, a Dance in Three Acts, by Lar Lubovitch for American Ballet Theater, premiering on March 6th, 2026. She is commissioned to create a new work for Ohio Contemporary Ballet for the Fall of 2026. She has been Rehearsal Director for both The Joffrey Ballet, Chicago, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Her work has been described as “dynamic,  finding nuanced  rhythms,  New York Post, “passionate and groovy dancing,”  New York Times, and  “Lush, passionate, , intricately designed, and highly theatrical, which brought to mind the work of Jerome Robbins,”  News-Tribune. Most recently she choreographed a production of Oklahoma! for Ogunquit Playhouse, (Fred Hanson, Director,) which was nominated for Best Choreography for 2018. She has been part of the creative process for multiple works for American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Norwegian National Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.  She has self-produced her own critically acclaimed evenings of work at Lincoln Center and was co-founding director of New Steps Choreography Project in Cleveland, OH, for which she received an Achievement in the Arts Nomination. .

Ginger has choreographed over 30 works for theatre, film, TV, concert dance and opera. A former Principal dancer with Cleveland Ballet, she joined the Lar Lubovitch Dance Co. in NYC,  in 1990 performing Nationally and  Inter-nationally until 1994. 

Other Broadway Choreography Credits: Carousel, Big, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, A Year
with Frog and Toad, and Oklahoma!

Choreography Credits: (Concert Work/Classical/Contemporary): Ohio Contemporary Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, Louisville Ballet, Sarasota Ballet (Triple Circle Choreographer Award), Minnesota Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Ballet NY, Virginia Ballet Theatre, and Eisenhower Dance Theatre. She self-produced her own evening of work at the Clark Theater, Lincoln Center, and was founding director of New Steps Choreography Project in Cleveland, OH, for which she received an Achievement in the Arts Nomination. 

Choreography Credits: (Theatre): Oklahoma! (1st, 2nd, 3rd, National Tours), Ogunquit Playhouse, (nominated for Best Choreography.) St. Louis MUNY; Maury Yeston’s/ Frank Loesser’s, Hans Christian Anderson, Main State Music Theater; Swing, (Director/Choreographer), MSMT, Ogunquit Playhouse,; The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Two River Theatre; Big, Gateway Playhouse; Carousel, Tex/Arts; The Robber Bridegroom, Cleveland Playhouse, The Bartered Bride and Eugene Onegin, Glimmerglass Opera, Don Pasquale, Cleveland Opera; Nine, Rider University; Pericles, and The Marriage of Figaro, Julliard Drama; productions with Amas Musical Theatre, Jean Cocteau Rep, NYC Shakespeare Project, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, U. of Michigan.

Ginger’s Classical/Contemporary Choreography Credits include full length and repertory works created for Verb Ballets, Oregon Ballet Theater, Louisville Ballet, Sarasota Ballet (Triple Circle Choreographer Award), Minnesota Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Ballet NY, Virginia Ballet Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Theatre, New Jersey Ballet, Dancing Wheels, and Virginia Ballet International.   

Ginger has also worked as Associate/ Assistant on PBS’s Dance in America: Othello, (ABT, San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Norwegian Nat’l Ballet); The Red Shoes,  (ABT, National Ballet of Canada); A Brahms Symphony, (ABT); and Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, Berlin, all with Lar Lubovitch.  And with Susan Stroman: Take Five, More or Less,  (Pacific Northwest Ballet), But Not For Me,  (Martha Graham Dance Company), For the Love of Duke, (New York City Ballet)  She has staged many works for Lar Lubovitch Internationally.

Teaching credits: Ginger has been the Rehearsal Director, and Company Teacher for Complexions Dance Company,  Norweigian National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theater,  and the Broadway Shows, Carousel,  and Swan Lake. She is on the faculty of Rioult Dance Company, Ballet Academy East, Steps on Broadway, and has previously been on the faculty of PeriDance, Manhattan School of Music,  Joffrey Ballet School, NYC,  Rutgers University, University of Michigan ( as Artist in Residence,) and was company director for Oakland University Dance Ensemble.

Musical Theatre Credits as Dancer/Actress: Oklahoma, (Broadway, preforming Aunt Eller,) Maury Yeston’s Phantom, Peter Pan, My Fair Lady, (All with Paper Mill Playhouse,)  Show Boat, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, Evita, and  Woman of the Year, with Kenley Players and Cleveland Opera.

Ginger  is a proud member of AEA, SAG and SDC Unions.