If you see the current national tour of Moulin Rouge!, firecracker Bohemian Jada Clark is bound to turn your head. The young dancer’s movement quality is a mix of stunning dynamism and smooth, sloping pathways. Onstage, she’s surprisingly grounded and confident for someone of just 23 years old—as good a sign as any that she’ll […]
Khori Michelle Petinaud is back on Broadway. This time, she’s bringing her smooth magnetism to Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’. The suave musical theater star began dancing at 13 years old at Russell’s School of Ballet in Chantilly, Virginia. Once she graduated from high school, she left her hometown studio and moved to Manhattan, where she earned […]
From pigeon-toed stances and widespread palms to sinewy, meticulous isolations, few choreographers evoke such strong imagery as Bob Fosse (1927–1987). Not only did he revolutionize the look of musical theater in the 1950s–’80s, but his work also continues to influence choreographers and filmmakers today. A Chicago native, Fosse came from a family of vaudeville performers. […]
A few years ago, Mary Ann Lamb got a phone call from Ann Reinking, who was choreographing a production of The Visit starring Chita Rivera. Lamb was thrilled when Reinking offered her the role of Young Claire without even asking for an audition. “And then she said, ‘In the first act, you’re going to play […]
Broadway choreographer Danny Daniels passed away on July 7 in Santa Monica, California, at age 92. Daniels was known for his choreography in musicals, such as Walking Happy, Annie Get Your Gun and The Tap Dance Kid, for which he won the 1984 Tony Award for best choreography. Daniels was born Daniel Giagni Jr. in […]
Michael Bennett is best known for the Pulitzer Prize–winning A Chorus Line (1975), now considered the quintessential concept musical, in which the choreography, dialogue, music and staging support a central theme. The musical’s intimate subject matter—the personal lives of chorus dancers auditioning for a show—was revolutionary for its time. Bennett also introduced the concept of […]
Al Blackstone only recently found his true stride in the dance world. Growing up taking class at his parents’ studio and going to competitions, he loved nothing more than performing. But now, whether he’s teaching a room full of professional-level dancers in New York City, a group of kids at a convention or at the […]
Talk to Grady McLeod Bowman about his early years, and it’s immediately clear where his stylistic versatility, choreographic intelligence and knack for storytelling originate. Precocious from the start, Bowman appeared in theater productions regularly starting at age 5. By 10, he was a tapper, and just six years later he was teaching his own dance […]
Sam Pinkleton has found a niche as a Broadway choreographer of plays and even musicals that feel, ironically, largely absent of dance. His gifts are subtlety and authenticity, as he carefully folds in movement so natural and organic the audience might not even realize they’re witnessing choreography. In fact, when working on a new project, […]
Emmy winner (for NBC’s “Smash”) Joshua Bergasse teaches frequently at Broadway Dance Center, and his choreography has been seen on national and Broadway stages in productions like West Side Story, Gigi and On the Town. Currently he’s working on the Broadway production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, set to hit the stage next spring. […]