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Step back into the vibrant world of 90s Broadway as we spotlight some of the most unforgettable and innovative dance numbers from musicals that defined a decade. From sleek tap extravaganzas and theatrical spectacles to bold, electrifying ensembles, these routines showcase the creativity and flair that made 90s musicals a dynamic era for choreography and storytelling on stage.
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00:00Monsieur, mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you here tonight.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the best dances and dance-heavy numbers in Broadway musicals that premiered in the 1990s.
00:15For this list, we're excluding off-Broadway runs or shows that premiered in the 80s,
00:19and including revivals if the choreography changed enough between productions.
00:30Number 10, Our Favorite Son, The Will Rogers Follies.
00:36Man, it'd have to be plumb local to give up a useful career in anything just to go on to politics.
00:40So, will you run for president or not, Mr. Rogers?
00:44I sure will.
00:44Filled with ironic humor and patriotic pastiche numbers, this bio-musical opened on Broadway in 1991.
00:51The Will Rogers Follies and its standout dance piece are full of star-spangled red, white, and blue showmanship.
00:57Don't ask me what my platform is, I leave that stuff alone.
01:01Cause no one keeps those promises as history has shown.
01:05Featuring Tony-winning choreography by one of Broadway's biggest legends, Tommy Toon.
01:09It's not just the footwork that's fancy in Our Favorite Son.
01:13Most of its best moments are played in a sitting position.
01:16With star Keith Carradine joining the female ensemble for some joyous knee-tapping.
01:20The synchronicity required here is deceptively complicated,
01:23and it just adds to the overall zaniness of the whole thing.
01:27We're as wealthy, as we've ever done, this face is beating us.
01:31We're ready for our favorite song.
01:34Number 9.
01:35On Broadway.
01:36Smokey Joe's Cafe.
01:38We say that we are nice of rights.
01:41On your face.
01:42On your face.
01:45This musical review is stuffed with songs by the legendary rock and roll writing duo Lieber and Stoller.
01:50With songs originally recorded by legends like Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, and the music groups of the 50s and 60s,
01:57Smokey Joe's Cafe is a true nostalgia trip.
02:01The show's take on On Broadway is a delight for a whole host of reasons.
02:10Four performers are given plenty of opportunities for energetic and slick dance breaks to the Drifters' classic.
02:16Joey McNeely's Tony-nominated choreography is slick and showy.
02:20It's a surefire crowd-pleaser in or out of the context of the show.
02:24I want you to love the show.
02:26I want you to love the show.
02:27I want you to love the show.
02:30On Broadway.
02:32Yeah.
02:33Number 8.
02:34The American Dream.
02:35Miss Saigon.
02:36Come on, there's a look of a champ.
02:40The American Dream.
02:42Oh, it's a dream.
02:44Based on Puccini's Madame Butterfly, this musical made its Broadway debut in 1991 and became a smash at the box office.
02:52But in addition to its melodrama and impressive helicopter set piece, it also boasts a classic dance number.
02:59It's time we all entertain my American dream.
03:06The American Dream is the shady engineer's garish and tacky fantasy about what awaits his new life when he leaves Vietnam for America.
03:15His dancing is just as gaudy as the rest of the number.
03:18With moves as vulgar as they are smooth, it's a showstopper that leaves you dazzled and also makes you want to take a nice, long shower.
03:26Hold yours for 10% down.
03:28The American Dream.
03:30Tap dancer and Broadway veteran Savion Glover crafted the choreography for this multi-Tony award-winning sensation that premiered in 1995.
03:55Telling the collective history of African-Americans across generations, the show blends rap, hip-hop, and tap in a percussive explosion of dance and song.
04:05The title track is staged with performers playing street drummers, beating on paint buckets, and dancers coming in to do tap solos before eventually becoming a cohesive group.
04:22All of the principal dancers are dressed very differently, representing different age groups and identities, but they fall into a unified rhythm for the song's extraordinary climax.
04:31Number 6. Where You Are. Kiss of the Spider Woman.
04:48You've got to learn how not to be where you are.
04:53The ethereal title character appears before two political prisoners every now and then to inject a dose of fanciful fabulousness into their daydreams.
05:01In her iconic pantsuit and hat, Aurora dazzles them with this jailhouse dance sequence.
05:06Come on in. Play with me. Play with me.
05:13Where You Are is a Latin music-infused song that sees her flanked by prisoners, singing about the necessity of looking past the walls of one's prison.
05:21At one point, she even lies on the backs of dancers who move her across the stage like a moving vehicle.
05:27The role and dance was originated by Chita Rivera on Broadway and choreographed by Vincent Patterson and Rob Marshall.
05:34Come on in. Come on in. Play with me. Play with me.
05:40Number 5. Be Our Guest. Beauty and the Beast.
05:44Why? You only live to serve. Try the gray stuff. It's delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!
05:51Disney's 1991 classic animated film is unforgettable, but seeing it live on stage is magical in a different way.
05:59The first of the studio's big-budget Broadway adaptations, this 1994 production had the daunting task of bringing the movie's vibrant and surrealistic musical numbers into the real world.
06:10It's been years since we've had everybody here, and we're obsessed!
06:16Performed by the show's animated furniture characters, Be Our Guest is a literal feast of theatricality, choreographed by Matt West with Dan Mojica.
06:25Ending with a classic Radio City-esque kick line, the whole number is a rousing feat of choreography, design, and good old-fashioned musical comedy spectacle.
06:34Where else will you be seeing dancing candelabras, flatware, and teapots?
06:38Sing it again!
06:44Number 4. Slap That Bass. Crazy For You.
06:48Who cares? Who cares? I'm dancing and I can't be bothered now.
06:54A reworking of the Gershwin's 1930 hit Girl Crazy, this musical premiered in 1992, and was a throwback to the kind of Broadway show that had been out of fashion for years.
07:04The creators succeeded admirably in making the old seem new again.
07:08The production was choreographed by Susan Stroman, who became a major force in the musical theater.
07:22Her work on Slap That Bass engages the ensemble of Crazy For You in a celebratory dance full of ingenious ideas and incredible physical comedy.
07:30The routine's particular stroke, or should we say slap of genius, is when the dancers actually become basses, with their partners strumming them like instruments.
07:39Number 3. La Vie Boheme. Rent.
07:51Today's of inspiration, playing, hooking, making something, not a weapon, the need to express, to communicate.
07:58When these exuberant, bohemian artists get together, no table is safe.
08:02La Vie Boheme is a mission statement.
08:04For our merry band of squatters just trying to make art and live authentically, it's also their chance to shock any innocent onlookers with just how filthy and outside the mainstream they are.
08:14This choreography has everything.
08:24There's gyrating hips, fist pumping, and even some simulated acts of a carnal nature.
08:29Featuring Tony-nominated choreography by Marlise Yerbe, the Broadway production ran for 12 years.
08:35The ensemble's tabletop antics became one of the defining moments of the whole show.
08:47Number 2. Circle of Life. The Lion King.
08:57It's one of the most iconic openings to any musical ever.
09:00Somehow, the stage version is even more thrilling to watch than the animated sequence that inspired it.
09:06Mmm, there is far too much to take in here.
09:11As much a triumph of puppetry, costuming, and imagination as it is dance,
09:16Circle of Life opens The Lion King with a showcase of precise and awe-inspiring movement.
09:21Its ensemble's costumes and dancing are meant to evoke various animals of Tanzania,
09:26and it's a truly mesmerizing piece of stagecraft.
09:29Garth Fagin's choreography of this song and the rest of the show's numbers
09:33earned the show one of its six Tony Awards.
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09:56Number one, Cell Block Tango, Chicago.
10:00Bob Fosse was a brilliant, brilliant choreographer-director,
10:06and wrote a lot of good things as well.
10:08And one of the books with Fred Ebb is Chicago.
10:11He created his own theater, his own style.
10:14While the original show is famous for its Bob Fosse choreography,
10:17its 1996 revival was re-choreographed by his partner and frequent collaborator Anne Reinking in his style.
10:24The changes made to Cell Block Tango are some of the most notable.
10:27Pop six.
10:29Swish.
10:29Thickero.
10:30Hipshit.
10:31In the original Broadway production, it was a more militaristic number played behind frames made to look like prison bars.
10:38In the revival, the six merry murderesses of the Cook County Jail perform in chairs.
10:43It makes the number bolder, darker, and more erotic.
10:47Their slinky, seductive chairography is reminiscent of Fosse's work for Mine Hair from Cabaret.
10:52The 2002 movie features a blending of the two Broadway stagings.
10:56Have you seen any of these numbers live?
11:05Tell us in the comments.
11:06Here's a phrase you will never hear the Queen of England say.
11:09Ladies and gentlemen, bring in the noise!
11:12Bring in the funk!
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