Closin’
Director and Choreographer Al Blackstone shares his feelings on the untimely closing of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ on Broadway, how it was to watch it with Janet Jackson, and all the wishes he’d loved to see come true, including an original cast recording.
The very concept of a show closing- on Broadway or otherwise- implies that, at one point it was open. I love this word: OPEN. When Abe and I first started dreaming about working on a project together, we talked about having a studio called OPEN, the logo looking something like the neon signs you see in shop windows all over NYC. I even had an OPEN sticker on my computer for a while, a gift from Katie Drablos (the best kind of friends are the ones that listen to your dreams and then buy you a sticker that says- keep going). The dream of OPEN morphed and evolved into our beloved Momen, and here I am writing to you about something quite sad; Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ on Broadway closed yesterday after 17 previews and 65 performances.
Image courtesy of Marc Cardarelli
Everything we do is temporary, and I know that. But let’s just state the obvious; this is a very painful loss for our community and I’m so sad. I’m sad that this particular production won’t continue into the summer so that young dancers visiting from around the world can see it and have their dreams turbocharged. I’m angry that there won’t be a cast recording that I can listen to with my eyes closed and try to recall the show from memory. I’m disappointed (and yes, also relieved) that we don’t get to see all of the local dance studios recreate Dancin’ Man for their competition teams with Curtain Call costumes and plastic hats- deeply inspired after it’s unforgettable televised performance. So many people would have benefited from seeing this glorious piece of dance theater and I am so fortunate to be one of the lucky ones who did.
I saw the show three times, each a unique and deeply transformative experience. I loved it at the invited dress surrounded by generations of dancers at what felt like the start of a homecoming for dancers on Broadway. I loved it the second time, the first performance of the final week where I cried my way through it knowing it would be ending way too soon. And I loved it the third and final time when by chance, I sat directly in front of Miss Janet Jackson. I made myself as small in my seat as I could so that she could see the dancers and they could see her. I could hear Janet giggle and sigh throughout, a shared experience with my favorite pop star. It was the most thrilling time I have ever had in a theater, hands down. I’m grateful.
“There’s no way I’d ever take a photo of Janet Jackson seated behind me, but I did take a photo of my dance bag and her Adidas jumpsuit.”
This Spring, I found myself in the middle of a hot topic in the dance studio scene: the professional filming of dance class and its impact on the community at large. So much of what I am trying to do when I teach is to help dancers be present with one another. Part of my upset with so many cameras in the classroom is that I believe it interferes with this connection, this energy exchange. The last time I saw the show, I sat close enough to see the Dancin’ cast interact with one another in detail and to intimately experience the sacred transference from performer to performer. This kind of communication of bodies and spirit in space, this vulnerability and openness, takes great skill and craftsmanship to achieve. It brought me some peace to be reminded that this connection that is so vital to the work we do is worth fighting for.
In our last Momen&Friends weekend, we focused on the idea that dance is intergenerational; passed down from those before us and handed down to those that come after. There is a ripple effect, a continuum that we are all a part of. Fosse’s work still speaks to us from beyond the grave and, quite frankly, made me want to get my ass in a studio and get better. I think about how this show and its GLORIOUS cast could have inspired thousands of young artists to believe that the dream of being a dancer on Broadway is still very much alive. I also think about adults like me who really needed a show like this to remind them why they chose to take this often difficult, thankless, and misunderstood career path. Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ on Broadway, much like my friend Katie all of those years ago, was here to say “keep going,” and I promise you this- I WILL. Thank you, Dancin’. You will be deeply, deeply missed, and even though I don’t have a cast recording, I can still close my eyes and see you there.