David Winters, who danced in the original Broadway production of “West Side Story” and then fashioned an influential if under-the-radar show business career, notably as a choreographer for Ann-Margret, Elvis Presley and others, died on April 23 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 80.

His brother, Marc, said the cause was congestive heart failure.

Mr. Winters had an energetic, visceral style as a dancer and later as a choreographer, evident in his work in “West Side Story” and then as the creator of dances for Ann-Margret and Presley in the movie “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) and for the 1960s musical variety TV shows “Shindig!” and “Hullabaloo.”

He developed a passion for performing as a child. Watching Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire on television, he would dance along with them. And after an NBC talent agent discovered him dancing in a show in a Manhattan restaurant, he was hired to appear on numerous TV shows and in three Broadway musicals, including “Shinbone Alley,” which starred Eartha Kitt and Eddie Bracken and had a book co-written by Mel Brooks.

Jerome Robbins, the celebrated ballet and Broadway choreographer, had seen “Shinbone Alley” during its brief run in the spring of 1957 and invited Mr. Winters to try out for “West Side Story,” the innovative musical about two warring New York gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. After one audition, Leonard Bernstein, who composed the music, wrote of Mr. Winters in his notes: “Fine dancer. Real cute.”