This was Fosse's big break, which catapulted his Broadway choreographic career. Veteran director/playwright George Abbot took a chance on young Fosse to choreograph his show. Fosse's ground-breaking choreography and staging in one of the numbers, Steam Heat was the talk of New York and a huge success. Fosse's signature movements he learned back in the burlesque and strip clubs, were now mesmerizing Broadway audiences. Fosse's choreographic signature was a formula all his own. "Small groups of dancers executing sometimes disjointed or torturously slow-motion movements drilled to the lift of an eyebrow", was how one dance magazine critic described it. At times he seemed to take the human body apart and make each piece work separately. .
The choreographer /dancer relationship was also different when it came to Fosse. He never taught anything he didn't know or research and always gave respect while expecting it in return. Fosse found himself in demand After "The Pajama Game" by countless Broadway producers, directors and even choreographers. He worked alongside Abbot again on "Damn Yankees", which was his first of many shows with dance legend Gwen Verdon, chiefly, remembered for her performance "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets". He also worked with Judy Holiday on "Bells are Ringing" and "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" with Robert Morse. While the Choreographer/Producer relationships Fosse had established flourished so did one of his Choreographer/Dancer relationships. After working on "Damn Yankees" with Gwen Verdon she seemed to epitomize his signature movements and emotion. She had dazzling long legs and double-jointed shoulders, which seemed to flow with Fosse's dance steps so easily. From then on Verdon was leading lady in almost all of Fosse's shows. After hits with "New Girl in Town" (1957) and "Redhead" (1959), Verdon and Fosse got married in 1960. By now, Fosse was directing as well as choreographing his shows.