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Wilton, CT

You Gotta Dance with Ridgefield resident Daniel C. Levine at The Ridgefield Playhouse Tomorrow Night!

The Ridgefield Playhouse Announces Premier of “Gotta Dance! Show- Stopping Numbers from Broadway’s Hottest Dancers”

Do you love theatre? Live music and dance? Then the May 8th performance of “Gotta Dance! Show- Stopping Numbers from Broadway’s Hottest Dancers” should not be missed.

Conceived and produced by Ridgefield resident Daniel C. Levine, “Gotta Dance! Show- Stopping Numbers from Broadway’s Hottest Dancers” is an exciting, upbeat, multi-media production filled with music and dance, performed live by a cast of talented Broadway dancers and musicians.

Daniel C. Levine creator of “Gotta Dance!” is a member of the Playhouse’s Artistic Advisory Board, and now heads up the Playhouse’s new Broadway & Cabaret Series.  

In 2014, he began the series at the Playhouse with the wildly successful, “Broadway Backstage!,” an insider’s look into the lives and careers of Broadway. Using live performances and music, combined with videotaped interviews - the backstage world of the Broadway, a world not often ‘open to the public’ was fascinatingly and honestly revealed.

With the successful run of “Broadway Backstage!,” behind him, Levine felt it was time to produce the next show is his Broadway series .

“Gotta Dance! Show- Stopping Numbers from Broadway’s Hottest Dancers” was born.

From the dreamy ballet of Agnes DeMille, to the jazz and sassiness of Bob Fosse, “Gotta Dance!” follows the evolution of dance on Broadway – and, how early choreographers, such as Jerome Robbins and Gower champion, influenced the Broadway choreographers of today.

Daniel C. Levine did not take the typical path, from audition to audition, to a successful Broadway career. Born in Framingham Massachusetts, Levine did perform in high school theater productions, but with family encouragement and an excellent academic record, Levine entered Brandeis University as a pre-med student. There he continued to star in various college productions. It was during these years that Levine felt the strong pull of the theater and decided to switch from from pre-medical studies, to pre-dental studies, thinking that that profession would allow him more free time to act in community theaters. So off he went to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

In his second year at Tufts he went to New York to see ‘Les Miserables,’ his first Broadway show. Levine’s first immediate reaction, “I’m missing out and how can I fix this?”

Providentially, he discovered that ‘Les Mis’ was having auditions. “I decided to give it a shot. I got the role and stayed in the show two years,” Levine says smiling.

He then decided to give himself one more try to see if he could get another part on Broadway to prove that the ‘Les Mis’ role wasn’t “just a fluke.” If he was not cast again he was prepared to go back to Tufts and continue on in a career as a dentist.  

Fortunately for theater audiences, not only did Levine get a role in the Broadway production of “Chicago” (the musical), but that casting was followed by roles in ”Mama Mia!” and ‘Little Shop of Horrors. In fact, between the years 1995-2014, Levine was cast in seven Broadway shows and National Touring Companies

His career as a dentist was clearly over.

Like any successful Broadway performer, Levine lived close to his work in an apartment in Manhattan that he shared with his partner, and now husband, Bryan Perri, the musical director of Broadway's smash hit ‘Wicked.’ They decided that they needed to find a home away from the hustle and bustle of New York - a place they both could relax. In 2010, they bought a house in Ridgefield, Connecticut and Levine found a home with the Ridgefield Playhouse.

"The Ridgefield Playhouse is a gem of a theater and a true staple of our community. I am beyond excited to bring more of 'Broadway' to The Playhouse,” says Levine.

And so are we.

For tickets and additional information for the May, 8, 2015, 8:00PM production of “Gotta Dance!” please go to: http://ridgefieldplayhouse.org/event/gotta-dance

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Submitted by Wilton, CT

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