Margin Notes: Gotta Dance! with American Dance Machine

Gotta Dance! with American Dance Machine

Seen on: Tuesday, 12/02/25.

Anthony Cannarella and Samantha 
Siegel with the ensemble in "Sing, Sing, Sing."
Photo by Bjorn Bolinder.

Plot and Background

A tribute to iconic musical theater choreography ranging from Bob Fosse to Jerome Robbins to Gene Kelly to Michael Bennet to Susan Stroman to Billy Wilson.

Thoughts:

What an absolute delight of an evening! This is an excellent showcase, not only of the varied visual voices of these choreographers, but also of the dancers performing them. While watching, I was struck over and over by how many different styles a musical theater dancer must master. There's the precise and sinuous body isolation of Bob Fosse, the flair of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the exuberance of Susan Stroman, the gestural and explosive athleticism of Jerome Robbins, the joy of Lynne Taylor-Corbett, the loose-limbed fluidity of Billy Wilson, the romantic grace of Christopher Wheeldon, the classic showmanship of Michael Bennett and Bob Avian. And, well, the shimmy of Joey McNeely. It's such a glorious tasting menu--a feast, really--of choreographers at the height of their game.

The evening contains a hearty collection of expected iconic dance pieces: "Manson Trio" from Pippin (Fosse), "Cool" from West Side Story (Robbins), "Broadway Melody" pas de deux from Singin' in the Rain (Kelly/Donen), "Simply Irresistible" from Contact (Stroman), and of course "One" from A Chorus Line (Bennett/Avian). But the revue is also rich with lesser-known pieces, like the "Mr. Monotony" number from Jerome Robbins' Broadway, "Teach Me How to Shimmy" from Smokey Joe's Cafe (McNeely), and the showstopping "Sing, Sing, Sing" from Swing! (Lynne Taylor-Corbett).

The design is minimal but effective. Brian C. Staton's projection design effectively places each number (including slating the song, origin, composer, and choreographer) with a simple backdrop that evokes the vision of the scene without distracting from the dancers onstage. Marlen Olson Hamm's costume design is straightforward, with additional specialty costumes provided by other designers (the green dress from "Broadway Melody" by David C. Woolard and William Ivey Long's iconic yellow dress from "Simply Irresistible").

And the dancers! Oh, this cast. If they had just been talented dancers, dayenu! But the voices--from Jess JeProtto's smooth and strong tenor for Tulsa and Don Lockwood, to Jessica Lee Goldyn's glorious belt lifting "I'm a Brass Band" and "The Music and the Mirror," to Afra Hines's smooth "Mr. Monotony." And then of course our dancing highlights include the stunning group numbers like "Simply Irresistible" and "Sing, Sing, Sing" (featuring a fantastic showcase for Samantha Siegel and Anthony Cannarella) and two perfect pas de trois of "Manson Trio" (featuring Taylor Stanley, Afra Hines, and Georgina Pazcoguin) and "Mr. Monotony" (Georgina Pazcoguin, Barton Cowperthwaite, and Taylor Stanley). And then featured soloists like Jessica Lee Goldyn as Charity and Cassie and the Shimmy dancer, Jess LeProtto with Brandon Burks for "Moses Supposes," Afra Hines as the Girl in the Yellow Dress, and Georgina Pazcoguin and Barton Cowperthwaite for the delicate pas de deux from "An American in Paris."

Seriously, a great night out. If you're in the mood for a bit of joy and gorgeous choreography performed by the pros, this is the ticket for you.

***

Georgina Pazcoguin, Taylor Stanley, and Afra Hines perform
"Manson Trio." Photo by Bjorn Bolinder.

Running: Now playing at  the Theatre at St. Jean's (The York Theatre and American Dance Machine, in association with Riki Kane Larimer) - Opening: December 4, 2025. Closing: December 28, 2025.
Category: dance
Length: 1 hour, 35 minutes, including intermission.

Creative Team

Conceived by: Nikki Feirt Atkins 
Music Director/Orchestra Reductions: Eugene Gwozdz
Director: Nikki Feirt Atkins and Randy Skinner

Stagers: Tome Cousin, Kelly Cleason, Robert LaFosse, Brian Lawton, Dustin Layton, Baayork Lee, Donna McKecknie, Stephanie Pope, Sean Quinn, Lars Rosager, Pamela Sousa, Caleb  Teicher, Alexis Wilson.

Designers:  Randy Skinner (Additional Choreography), Noah Glaister (Scenic Coordinator/Props), Marlene Olson Hamm (Costume), Ken Billington (Lighting), Peter Brucker (Sound), Brian Staton (Projections), Annie Brown (Company Manager), Jason Styres/The Casting Collective (Casting Director), Nicole Caroselli (Production Stage Manager), Kyle Schuller (Production Manager), Andrew Winans & Cathy Lubash Fogelman (Rehearsal Directors), Katie Rosin | Kampfire PR (Press Representative), Innoruptiv (Advertising & Marketing).

Cast: Brandon Burks, Anthony Cannarella, Barton Cowperthwaite, Deanna Doyle, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Afra Hines, Jess LeProtto, Kendall Leshanti, Drew Minard, Georgina Pazcoguin, Samantha Siegel, Taylor Stanley, Blake Zelesnikar.