Six Choreographers Set for DanceBreak Showcase

The DanceBreak Foundation today announced the six choreographers whose work will be showcased for Broadway producers and directors in February: Kelly Devine, Linda Goodrich, Stas' Kmiec', CJay Philip, Josh Prince and Paul Stancato.
 
The 2007 Selection Committee consisted of some of Broadway's leading producers, directors, composers and choreographers including: Kathleen Marshall, Jack O'Brien, Walter Bobbie, Rob Ashford, Kevin McCollum, Stephen Schwartz, Larry Fuller, Beth Williams, Scott Schwartz, Stephen Flaherty, Andrew Lippa, Andrew Asnes, Hal Luftig, Adam Zotovich, Elizabeth Williams, Christopher Ashley, Robyn Goodman, Marge Champion, Donald Saddler, among others.
 
DanceBreak 2007 will be held at the New World Stages complex on 50th St, right off 8th Ave on February 12.

As a direct result of the program's exposure, DanceBreak choreographers have signed their first Broadway contract and gone on to garner four Drama Desk nominations, three Outer Critics Circle nominations, and three Tony Award nominations for DanceBreak 2003 choreographer Casey Nicholaw for his work on the Broadway smash hits, Spamalot and The Drowsy Chaperone.  Andy Blankenbeuhler, 2002, received his Broadway debut this year with The Apple Tree, and Mia Michaels, 2004, is a nationally recognized choreographer and judge on Fox-TV's popular "So You Think You Can Dance."
 
"Seeing DanceBreak come to such vibrant life, flourish and help propel the careers of so many gifted young choreographers has been a dream-come-true ," said Melinda Atwood, founder of The DanceBreak Foundation.   "Since its inception, DanceBreak has attracted the participation of some of musical theatre's foremost artists."
 
"Now entering its sixth year, DanceBreak cultivates a new generation of Broadway choreographers, giving them the opportunity to strut their stuff in a series of showcase performances before an invited audience of industry leaders, Broadway producers and directors," state press materials.

"DanceBreak gives these young choreographers the chance to show that they can do it and that's a shot they wouldn't get otherwise. It's amazing. I can't wait to hire them all," said board member Jerry Mitchell, the Tony-Award winning choreographer of La Cage Aux Folles, and the much-anticipated Legally Blonde.

"The mission of the DanceBreak Foundation is to identify and nurture talented early and mid-career musical theater choreographers, and offer them an exceptional platform to showcase their work for an audience of industry leaders who can be most beneficial in advancing their careers. DanceBreak provides all the financial, administrative and technical support necessary to develop new choreographic talent for this uniquely American art form."

Visit www.dancebreak.org for more information.

Photo - Casey Nicholaw

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