The dancing on Broadway seems to have gotten bigger, and more original — even many plays this season had dancing in them — since I held a contest two years ago asking readers for the best dance numbers on Broadway that they’d ever seen.
Here is a video that highlights the dancing on Broadway this season, focusing on the four musical nominated for a Tony for best choreography: On The Town choreographed by Joshua Bergasse, The King and I by Christopher Gattelli, Something Rotten by Casey Nicholaw , and An American in Paris by Christopher Wheeldon.
I’ve just run another contest, with a slightly different question:
What show had the best dancing you ever saw on Broadway?
I was asking about the show as a whole rather than specific numbers.
The winner of the contest, chosen at random at Random.org, is Douglas Otero.
Here are the dozen they chose, in alphabetical order, with a selection of their comments:
An American in Paris
“The choreography was complex, expressive, and exquisite and performed brilliantly.”- Monica C.
Anything Goes
“It was completely breath taking and made me loath the fact I can’t dance.”~Diane DiNapoli
Chicago
“Very seductive with lots of precision. No pomp and circumstance. Just great moves, sexy black outfits all dancing in unison. Yes!” – Lisa Vigna
Contact
“Directed/choreographed by Susan Stroman whom I have loved ever since. I have to admit it is hard to chose one dance, but I guess if forced to it would be the lyrical and classical dance number depicting fantasy while seated in reality at a restaurant. The dancers tell the story with no need for dialogue”~Lisa Dennett
Fosse
Aside from wanting to jump on stage myself, it was one of those moments you witness where it’s like you feel as if Bob Fosse was in the audience watching. Douglas Otero
Jerome Robbins’ Broadway
“the obvious answer, for me, with its re-creations of so many glorious classic numbers.”-Noah Diamond.
The Lion King
Movin’ Out
Newsies
he epic “Seize the Day” number alone had me grinning like a schoolgirl, and when you throw in tap via “King of New York”…that Tony for Best Choreography was well deserved!”~Sarah Packard
Pippin’
Promises, Promises
West Side Story
“I’m super biased because I love the piece so much. I grew up watching the movie and never thought I’d get to see it onstage. I guess I was particularly awestruck with “America”, mostly because I never thought I’d see anyone’s legs go higher than Rita Moreno and yet, here was Karen Olivo being mindblowing. Sigh.”- Jose Solis
