Who co-choreographed Cats: The Jellicle Ball with Arturo Lyons?

Omari Wiles co-choreographed Cats: The Jellicle Ball with Arturo Lyons.

The production is a radical reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, placing the Jellicle cats within the world of New York ballroom culture. Wiles and Lyons shaped the show’s movement vocabulary together, translating the musical’s familiar songs and characters into voguing, runway presentation, and the communal energy of a ball.

Wiles is a prominent ballroom artist and a founding figure of the House of NiNa Oricci. Lyons is a ballroom performer associated with the House of Miyake-Mugler and became widely known beyond the scene through the voguing competition series Legendary. Their collaboration gives the production a creative foundation rooted in ballroom rather than simply adding isolated dance references.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball began at New York’s Perelman Performing Arts Center in 2024 before transferring to Broadway. The directors are Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, while the musical retains Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score, including “Memory,” in a newly recontextualized staging.