Paloma Garcia-Lee, Jess Leprotto (Photo: Bjorn Bolinder)
Gotta Dance! with American Dance Machine
By Matthew Roland
“The time to sing is when your emotional level is just too high to speak anymore, and the time to dance is when your emotions are just too strong to only sing about how you feel.” – Bob Fosse
That’s precisely what unfolds at the York Theatre’s Upper East Side stage in Gotta Dance. From the first beat to the final bow, the production channels raw emotion and boundless energy, inviting audiences to experience the joy, nostalgia, and brilliance of classic musical-theatre dance.
The Ensemble (Photo: Bjorn Bolinder)
In association with Riki Kane Larimer and presented by American Dance Machine, Gotta Dance takes audiences on a classic musical-theatre dance journey, showcasing some of the most iconic dance numbers from stage, television, and film. Everything from Singin’ in the Rain to Pippin, West Side Story, and A Chorus Line makes an appearance, just to name a few.
Conceived by Nikki Feirt Atkins, with music direction by Eugene Gwozdz and co-direction by Atkins and Randy Skinner, the production brings together a cast of fourteen of the most extraordinary New York dancers working today to breathe new life into these classic, unforgettable pieces, re-staged from the original source material by legendary choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, Susan Stroman, and Randy Skinner.
As we jump through time periods from 1952 all the way up to the early 2000s, Atkins and Skinner provide seamless transitions that trace the evolution of classic dance and musical theater, the kind of work that rarely gets showcased on a platform like this. It’s a celebration of a bygone era of musical theater that so many of us know, love, and, frankly, deeply miss.
Deanna Doyle, Jess Leprotto (Photo: Bjorn Bolinder)
Some featured performers to highlight include Jess LeProtto, who, as soon as the curtain rises, bounds onto the stage with the same grace and flair that Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were known for. He brings to life numbers like the unforgettable duet “Broadway Melody” from Singin’ in the Rain, which also features Paloma Garcia-Lee as the iconic “Girl in Green,” made famous by Cyd Charisse. LeProtto is equally captivating as the charming and debonair Tulsa in “All I Need is the Girl,” recreated using the choreography from the 1993 movie adaptation. Anytime LeProtto is on stage, your eyes are irresistibly drawn to the way he makes every movement look effortless.
Another standout is Jessica Lee Goldyn, featured in “I’m a Brass Band” from Sweet Charity, and closing the show with one of the most renowned solos in the musical theater canon, reprising her role as Cassie in “The Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line. This grueling seven-minute number is famously one of the most physically demanding in musical theater, when performed eight times a week on Broadway. Yet Goldyn delivers it with unwavering energy, combining the same passion she brought to the 2008 Broadway revival with the added maturity and nuanced understanding of the character she has developed over the years.
Jessica Lee Goldyn (Photo: Bjorn Bolinder)
Though the entire company are undeniably the stars, the production’s design team plays a crucial supporting role. Ken Billington’s lighting design, Noah Glaister’s scenic and prop coordination, Peter Brucker’s sound design, and Marlene Olson Hamm’s costumes all work in perfect harmony, to support the performance, subtly enhancing each number without ever stealing focus. Together, they create a seamless backdrop that allows the true stars the company to take center stage.
Dance is and will always be a universal language. We as humans start communicating with movement before we can speak and from our first steps as children to the electrifying performances on stage, movement speaks in ways words never can. Experiencing a story brought to life through dance is nothing short of magical. So make your way to York Theater and see it for yourself.
Gotta Dance! with American Dance Machine
At the Theatre at St. Jean’s
150 E. 76th St
Running time: 95 minutes, one intermission
Through December 28
