Leon Baugh has won the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for his work in Roy Williams’s Sucker Punch.
The acclaimed dancer, best known for his work with the Hofesh Shechter Company, created the intricate boxing sequences for Williams’s play looking back on the 1980s, which needed the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Downstairs to be redesigned to accommodate a boxing ring.
Accepting the award, Baugh thanked his partner and director of Sucker Punch, Sasha Wares, saying: ” I honestly believe that without her this show wouldn’t have been nominated for all the things it has been. “
Baugh, who has retired as a dancer, trained at Laban and has worked with companies including Frantic Assembly and Stan Won’t Dance.
Baugh was the only nominee in the Best Theatre Choreographer category not to be working on a musical. He wins over Bill T Jones (Fela!), Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde The Musical) and last year’s winner Stephen Mear (Sweet Charity).