Originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, Dancin' is a musical that has been given new life after 44 years since the 1970s.
At Balboa Park's Old Globe Theatre, you can check out the most vibrant musical in San Diego right now, a musical that has each visitor on the edge of their seat ready to dance for over two hours.
Bob Fosse, who passed away in 1987 at the age of just 60, had lived a career where he won 20 Tony Awards, while also becoming the very first director to take home an Oscar in 1973.
One of his brightest pieces of work is Dancin', a show that pays tribute to the art of dance through a collection of music in the jazz genre, pop, classical, and more.
Ioana Alfonso, part of the musical's cast, told ChulaVistaToday that this musical is a magnificent experience to live through for the people that have never seen, heard, or read about this masterpiece, let alone any work orchestrated by Bob Fosse himself.
“If people are not familiar with this work, he was by far an icon, a genius artist who changed the art form forever. Come experience that artistic revolutionary material, it would be like going to a museum and seeing an iconic piece of art, so I think everyone should get a chance to live it," said Ioana Alfonso. "It’s really entertaining, it takes you on a real journey, so you will be laughing one minute, and then experienced more seriousness the next moment, and then the tears come after. It’s a really fun experience that you can share with your loved ones."
Another star in the cast of Dancin' is Yani Marin, who recently spent years of her life devoted to acting, though her main passion has always been the art of dancing.
Yani, who has a B.F.A. in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, says that putting acting aside to focus on her main passion of dancing is something she cherishes to the fullest at the moment, especially for a project that is so iconic in the industry such as Dancin'.
"It’s been a really joyful experience to come back to my first love, which is dancing," Marin said. "I had put aside dancing for a while to focus on acting, but this iconic project is something I couldn’t say no to, so to be able to come back into the industry for a project that is so respected and well-received gives me pure joy."
Marin has also appeared on Broadway performances like West Side Story (2009 revival OBC), Kiss My Aztec (La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep), Christmas Spectacular(Radio City), and more, but says that Dancin' is like no other, as it includes an incredible amount of diversity, great music, and a spark of joy that she believes we all need after a rough few years due to the global pandemic.
“The music is incredible, it’s interesting and unique, and it has a diverse cast, therefore I believe anyone in attendance will connect one way or another with someone on stage based on representation," Yani Marin told ChulaVistaToday.
"This show will make you go back home, put on some music, and dance around your living room. We have all gone through a rough couple of years due to the pandemic, so I hope the musical inspires people to dance around since it can be really healing in many ways,” she added.
The musical will be running until Sunday, June 5, 2022, at The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.
