Bob Rizzo - Page 2

Director/Choreographer Dana Solimando discusses adapting RUDOLPH, the iconic television special, for the stage.

The iconic Rockettes remain supreme with their eye-high kicks, razor-sharp precision and synchronized choreography. They prance as reindeer, dance as teddy bears, march as wooden soldiers, and tap as rag dolls, all to stunning effect.

Broadway icon Chita Rivera discusses her upcoming concerts, playing rooms both big and small, getting the job done, and how she discovered her voice.

If there is one thing director/choreographer Austin McCormick can be accused of it's that he consistently puts on a titillating, atmospheric and imaginative show.

Choreographer Larry Fuller is responsible for the staging of some of Broadway's most iconic musicals. Whether it was his Tony Award nominated dances in Evita, or his staging for the murderous Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, his stylized movement always held your attention. Larry has staged both the Tony Awards and the Emmy Awards and has worked numerous times with legendary Broadway director Hal Prince.

The new Broadway production of Paramour marks dancer Reed Kelly's fourth Broadway show. No stranger to the Lyric Theatre, he last flew around that stage in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. He also took flight as a monkey in Broadway's Wicked and danced in The Addams Family. In addition to performing, Reed continues to interact with a legion of reality show fans from his stint on CBS's Survivor: San Juan Del Sur in 2014.

You may know him as Broadway's bespectacled 'Newsie' who whipped off multiple ballet turns atop a sheet of newspaper. Maybe you spotted him as a lost boy in NBC's Peter Pan Live!, or caught his sensitive portrayal of Baby John in the revival of West Side Story. But Ryan Steele has graduated from adolescent roles and is ready to take on leading man status this fall in the national tour of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS.

After her breakout performance as Ruby in last season's toe-tapping revival of Dames At Sea, Eloise Kropp joins a cast of exceptional dancers and singers in the new Broadway revival of CATS. CATS marks Eloise's third Broadway show in just two years, having also danced in the ensemble of the hit revival of On The Town. But it was her expert tap dancing skills in Dames that really put her on the map. In her big number 'Star Tar,' she executed lightning fast and intricate tap rhythms worthy of Eleanor Powell and Ann Miller from MGM's musical heyday.

In iLuminate you're transported on a thrill seeking yet mind-boggling ride. The energetic nine-member troupe is full of expert dancers who dance full-throttle the entire show. Their unified razor-sharp work is worthy of the precision of the Radio City Rockettes.

Choreographer Jonathan Cerullo returns to the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) with the new musical, Lisa and Leonardo. His mentor, acclaimed choreographer Patricia Birch, first introduced him to the festival in its inaugural season. Cerullo had been assisting Birch for thirteen years, and moved into the role of executive producer with her NYMF production of Orphan Train. Subsequently, he went on to stage two other musicals at the festival and also became an evaluator reading new scripts.

Popular choreographer Al Blackstone, known for his Broadway style routines on So You Think You Can Dance, is excited to be returning for his third season at the Fire Island Dance Festival. Blackstone will be presenting an excerpt from his new work, Freddie Falls In Love, which recently had its premiere at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City. The show was also a benefit performance for DRA and Blackstone figured it would be a perfect fit for this year's festival.

Khori Petinaud was more of an athlete as a child yet she still sashayed around her house in tutus, tiaras, and dance slippers. She didn't actually start formal ballet classes until she was thirteen. Having been bitten by the 'ballet bug' was, in a word, transformative. Given her age, the young Petinaud was not one to waste time. She attended the summer program at Dance Theatre of Harlem that very same year. Eventually she discovered her love of modern dance while studying at Alvin Ailey and subsequently attended Tisch School of the Arts where she received her BFA in dance. Her foray into musical theatre was with the national tour of The Color Purple.

The Radio City Rockettes star in the new summer show at the Radio City Music Hall, 'New York Spectacular,' but don't expect the traditional razor precision ensemble work that you may be accustomed to seeing. This new show has the personalized stamp of popular So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Mia Michaels, who is also credited as the director. Fans of Michaels' signature contemporary dance style will find a lot to like in this production: from the Rockettes gesticulating and grooving to her edgy vibe, to the wildly talented male ensemble that turn, jump, and twitch out to her stylized dance vocabulary.

He made his mark on the New York stage in 2015 playing the Fred Astaire role in Lady, Be Good at City Center's Encores! This past season he made his Broadway debut as Lucky in the tap-happy revival of Dames At Sea. Now Danny Gardner shuffles onto the grand stage at Radio City making his debut in the New York Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes. As part of the principal cast, Danny joins eighty performers in this new show that celebrates New York City in the summertime. It's centered around the trip of a lifetime for two kids, who, while on a vacation in New York, are separated from their parents. The city magically comes to life and helps to reunite their family in the end. It's all directed and choreographed by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels, and is written by Drama Desk Award-winner Douglas Carter Beane.

Josh Walden is a seasoned Broadway hoofer. He's sung and danced in the revivals of 42nd Street, A Chorus Line, La Cage aux Folles and Ragtime. But it's in the new Off-Broadway musical Cagney where Walden gets to really show off his versatility and range. He changes characters and costumes faster than he taps out a syncopated rhythm-and he even executes that flawlessly. He's part of Cagney's expert six-member cast in this musical biography of Hollywood tough guy and dance man James Cagney.

It's only a few moments before choreographer Jennifer Paulson- Lee will watch her cast give the press a 'sneak peek' of their rehearsals. They're preparing to perform three musical numbers from 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown' which will be presented at The York Theatre beginning this week for a limited engagement. What's unique about this revival is the fact that a pint-sized cast of 9 to 13 year olds is performing all the roles. But don't let their ages fool you. This young bunch of talented thespians has a list of professional credits that any seasoned 35-year-old performer would envy. As the press files into the theatre, Paulson-Lee is busy making last minute corrections on her young charges. She is gentle and soft-spoken yet gets her point across to these eager children who take her notes and make the adjustments on the spot. The mutual love and admiration between this gang of peanuts and their dance master is all too evident.

The sparkling new Broadway musical Shuffle Along boasts an all-star cast and one heck of a tap-happy, super talented ensemble. Dancer Phillip Attmore is among those skillful hoofers who tear up the floor nightly at The Music Box Theatre. This guy has charisma to spare and literally bursts out of the chorus performing a rapid-fire succession of rhythm turns that are reminiscent of the dynamic tapping from the old classic movie musicals.

Now that the Tony Award nominations have been announced, it looks like a pretty competitive race for 'Best Choreography.' The category is full of creative and diverse work from four established Broadway vets, and the debut of a new modern voice. Each put their own distinctive stamp on dance genres that include tap, hip-hop, salsa, and traditional folk dances with a twist. Here are the five guys to watch out for on June 12th.

Sterling Masters hails from Charlotte, NC and is currently appearing in Wicked on Broadway. Long before she made her Broadway debut in the show she grew up dancing in her mom's dance studio. She competed in dance competitions and still holds the record for being the first and only dancer to hold all four titles for Carolina Dance Masters. After a brief stint at Florida State, Sterling was cast in the national tour of Fosse and never looked back. She went on to perform (and dance captain) national tours of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Wicked, to name a few.

On Tuesday evening April 12th, The Dance Enthusiast presented an informal evening of dance and conversation. The 4th in a series called Enthusiastic Events!, Dance: Broadway Stage and Screen consisted of three engaging speakers and two short dance performances.