Starting out with the optimistic "Life Is
Just a Bowl of Cherries," the revue moves on
to "Big Spender" from Charity, "I Want to
Be a Dancin' Man" from Dancin, "Mein
Herr" from Cabaret, "Steam Heat" from The
Pajama Game, "Glory" from Pippin and
"Who's Sorry Now?" from the film All That
Jazz, an autobiographical work that alludes
to the choreographer's darker side, one filled
with women-and alcohol.
"I decided not to go biographical or
chronological with Fosse and chose numbers
that would flow into the mix," explains
Reinking, who worked with director Richard
Maltby Jr., choreographer Chet Walker and
artistic adviser Gwen Verdon, Fosse's third
wife who starred in many of his shows.
"All the segues that I did were in Bob's
style, so it hopefully [doesn't] have a recital
effect. I wanted certain numbers that are
famous and can be lifted out of their shows
because they're each a little unit onto them-
selves — it was an odd situation to be saying,
`We're not going to do a certain number just
because it's really good.'
"Gwen had mastered 45 numbers, but the
show was too long. It was two hours and 45
minutes, and now it's two hours and 20 min-
utes with a 15-minute intermission. [With all
the material], we could do another Fosse."
Reinking, who grew up in Seattle, was in
the sixth grade when she saw a classmate
dance and decided that she wanted ballet
lessons. As a teenager insisting on a practice
barre in her room, she won a Ford Foundation
scholarship to study at the San Francisco
School of Ballet. After apprenticing with
Robert Joffrey, she completed high school,
moved to New York and was hired by the Corps
de Ballet at the Radio City Music Hall.
Soon after gaining musical theater roles, her
career soared and took her into movies and
television. Early on, Fosse, who died in 1987
of a heart attack, was her mentor, and their
relationship reached offstage as well.
"I was fortunate enough to have met some-
body whose work I had a natural -affinity for,
and I became a better dancer," Reinking says -
of the man also known for wearing a hat in his
numbers. "It was right for me, and I knew it. I
loved working in his world and in his point of
view. I found his sheer vocabulary of dance
steps really fascinating.
"I didn't realize that I had learned another
craft from having worked with him and other
fine choreographers for so many years, but one
day, at a theater festival, the artistic director
said I was to stage numbers for a musical —
17 numbers in a week. I did it and realized
that somewhere along the line, I'd learned
[another] craft that I liked dog."
When Reinking plans out dance routines,
she sometimes visualizes them first and some-
times just moves to the music. Influenced by
the person with whom she's working, she
stresses the gist of the number, both melody
and lyrics.
son, and I became very
involved. It literally saved
my family and got us all
on to a really good course.
"It meant a lot of hope
for him, and he's just fly-
ing. They're a remarkable
community of people who
really offer a tremendous
service. They have a fabu-
lous board of profession-
als, and it's free."
Reinking, whose many
honors include a Dance
Library of Israel Award,
serves as artistic director of
the Broadway Theatre
Project, a program she
founded in Florida to
bring together working
professionals and gifted
young people. Drawn
from the University of
South Florida in Tampa,
the program includes mas-
ter classes with many stars,
including Joel Grey,
Gregory Hines, Marilu
Henner and James
Naughton.
"This is a three-week
summer arts program that
we've been doing for 10
Ann Reinking: "I was fortunate enough to have met somebody whose
years," says Reinking, who
work I had a natural affinity for, and I became a better dancer"
was assisted in launching
the program by the woman
who founded the Dance
"It really is one step at a time, and then I go
Library
of
Israel.
"The
kids have to audition,
back and rework things," says Reinking, who
and
we
have
a
couple
of
scholarship students
works out regularly but doesn't dance regularly
who
come
from
Israel.
unless she's accepted a project. "I love to dance
"We teach singing, dancing and acting and
socially, and I love the challenge of following
offer networking and conduit services. We have -
because it's completely different from choreo-
people from various parts of theater — pro-
graphed dancing. There's nothing better than
ducers, casting agents, writers, directors, chore-
dancing with somebody you're in synch with."
ographers — so [participants] get a real sense
Reinking's recent choreography credits
of the whole scope of the craft and understand
include the national tour of a revival of -
they don't just have to be performers to exist in
Applause, two ballets for the Joffrey Ballet of
this world and enjoy it. We also offer stress
Chicago and TV commercials for Chic jeans.
management and people skills because it takes
Long before she mapped out the dancing for
more than talent to survive in this business."
the Bye Bye Birdie television production featur-
In Fosse, Reinking gives a sense of the per-
ing Jason Alexander, she starred in the musical
sonality
that helped her own mentor survive at
with Tommy Tune and performed in
the
top
of
his profession for so long.
Michigan.
"Audiences
will feel a lot of different emo-
"I like Detroit a lot and remember how
tions
because
his
work was so personal, and
incredible Cranbrook is," recalls Reinking, now
they'll
see
that
he
was interested in-all types of
working on the play The Visit, which stars
things,"
Reinking
says. "He loved the inclusion
Angela Lansbury and features a John Kander-
of all kinds of spirits, and he actually was very
Fred Ebb score. "Tommy and I had a great
open and oddly tender. My responsibility was
time, and I added a few friends there."
to represent Bob and to show that I really had
Although Reinking is not Jewish, she has
great respect for his work." ❑
made many friends serving on a divisional
committee of the Jewish Board of Family and
Children's Services in New York.
"My son has special needs, so I went to the
Fosse runs Feb. 29-March 19 at the Fisher
therapeutic nursery there," explains Reinking,
Theatre. $35-$65.50. (313) 872-1000.
who is married to sports writer Peter Talbert.
"As a parent, I had to go to school with my
2/25
2000
73
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