Janine Molinari works with performers at Dance Molinari (DMO), a world-renowned dance theatre company in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago training performers of all ages and skill levels in theatre, dance, improv, acrobatics, vocal performance, audition technique and more. DMO prepares aspiring performers for their debut on or off-Broadway, as well as; national tours, television, the music industry (multiple Grammy Award winning artists), movies/films, and commercials. Dance Molinari transforms students into experienced performers who achieve their fullest artistic potential. Janine recently launched a video, ” We’re Gonna Come Back.” where she masterfully directed and choreographed featuring Broadway’s Best. “Were Gonna Come Back” music and lyrics are by Don Alden.
FWM: You have trained Broadway’s Finest child performers. What have been your proudest moments?
Sitting in the front row on many opening nights on Broadway after months of preparation culminating in my student’s polished and confident performances. One particular night that stands out for me was at the 67th Tony Awards in 2013. Many of my young Broadway stars have performed at the Tony Awards. But the 2013 “Tony’s” stand out, as several of my DMO (DanceMolinari) students were appearing in four Broadway shows being honored that night: .A Christmas Story, Matilda, Annie, and Kinky Boots. Together they performed the opening number and the huge production numbers with such joy and love. I’m still working with three of those kids today, as adults in the new music video I directed and choreographed, We’re Gonna Come Back. In fact my lead singer/actress in the music video, Analise Scarpaci, is currently in rehearsals for the reopening of Mrs. Doubtfire. In 2013 she was a young performer in A Christmas story. Also two of my lead dancers in the video are Beatrice Tulchin and Skye Alyssa Friedman who were in Matilda and Annie in 2013.
FWM: Tell us about Dance Molinari.
I grew up on “the rock,” Staten Island. By the age of three, I was studying multiple forms of dance. In my teens, I also began singing and acting. After graduating from high school I briefly attended college in Florida, then returned to SI, majoring in musical theatre at Wagner College. Immediately after college, I began performing professionally all over the USA, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and Europe as an actress, singer, dancer.
Dance Molinari or DMO as it is most often referred to began unexpectedly in 1999, one fateful Thanksgiving weekend at the former New Dance Group on West 47th Street in NYC. Within a week of returning to the city from playing Mary Magdalene in an out of town production of Jesus Christ Superstar, I landed a role in the longest-running play in Off- Broadway history; Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Between the matinee and evening performances on Saturdays, I taught a large adult dance class to supplement my Off-Broadway salary. One Saturday a group of kids showed up between their various Broadway shows and literally knocked at my door during the warm-up saying their tap teacher didn’t show up, and could they join my class. I said I did not teach kids, but would allow them in just this once. They out-danced the adults by a long shot and showed up the next week with more Broadway kids, including a young Nick Jonas, who was performing in Annie Get Your Gun, and Brittany Portman from Annie who is all grown up now and the executive producer of my music video! Thus, Dance Molinari was born by day, while performing Off Broadway at night. I began coaching young professionals in all styles of dance, acting, and audition preparation. Within a couple of months, my student Ashley Rose Orr, booked young Shirley Temple in Disney’s Child Star. Nick Jonas became, well, Nick Jonas, and a yet unknown young talent named Ariana Grande joined the fold.
FWM: What was it like working with Ariana Grande?
Ariana was so sweet and such a hard worker. I loved working with her. She was fun, focused, and fearless. Ariana knew what she wanted from a very early age and went for it full throttle. I have fond memories of her coming into the studio singing her famous whistle tones! Her very talented brother Frankie taught for DanceMolinari while he was in Mama Mia on Broadway. Ariana and the cast of Broadway’s “13” danced with me between shows on Wednesdays. It was like a teen dance party!
FWM: Your recent project was as Director and Choreographer for “We’re Gonna Come Back.” What led you to this project?
Directing and choreographing this tribute/celebration of Broadway coming back and theatre reopening everywhere, was important to me for so many reasons. We have been isolated for so long as artists, taking virtual classes, doing online performances. With time it became difficult to study, rehearse, and perform “virtually.” I was looking for a way to bring together these extraordinary performers who were in Broadway shows at the time of the shutdown. Some who were about to make their Broadway debuts. These young performers were devastated as they never made it to opening night and would likely outgrow their roles by the time Broadway reopened. They needed their voices heard and a chance to take the curtain call they never had. By chance, I heard this beautiful song, We’re Gonna Come Back, written by Don Alden. It was full of hope, perseverance, and light, and I knew we had to rerecord it with these young Broadway stars, along with the chorus of The Broadway Youth Ensemble. Distanced and wearing masks we held auditions in person for both the kids and adults. Many cried, including me, as it was our first time auditioning in person since before the pandemic.
FWM: Tell us about the opening scene and how this set the stage for the video.
Tap dancing is a huge part of my life and is such a primitive nonverbal form of communication. Tap is a form of expression that can convey a wide range of emotions through sound. It’s one of the earliest dance styles represented in Broadway musicals. I was tapping with a student in a Times Square studio when I was told Broadway just shut down. We slowed down for a few seconds then began tapping faster and faster in an unplanned frantic way. We finished our lesson, said good bye, and I quickly packed up my locker, jumped on my bike parked in front of a closed Hadestown and rode away listening to the news reports on my phone. Times Square was already deserted. Thus the idea for the opening with the tapper overlapping with the news of COVID-19.
FWM: What happened when you first stepped foot onto the Broadway stage? How did you translate your feelings at that moment throughout the choreography?
From the start, I knew we had to film part of the video in a Broadway theatre. Executive Producer, Brittany Portman, whose grandfather was the architect and builder of the Marriott Marquis Broadway theatre, suggested we attempt to shoot there. So Brittany and I along with Olga Vasquez, my director of photography, and Tanya, my AD toured the theatre. Stepping onto the cold dark bare stage, illuminated only by the ghost light, and plastic tarps covering a thousand seats, we realized it was the first time anyone stood on a Broadway stage since COVID began. It was so sad, yet the ghost light also represented the promise that the stage will light up once again. I so desperately wanted to see the red velvet beneath the chairs in the house. I visualized the performers peeling back the plastic so they could once again play to an audience. It was all of these images that played so heavily in my direction and choreography. The dancers rehearse with masks, no lights, no sets, yet continue to dance knowing they will be back.
FWM: Is directing like a dance?
Directing and Choreography are the same to me as I am a storyteller first. Only the vehicle of expression changes. I see the story as pictures in my head whether directing or choreographing. I love using natural and minimal surroundings rather than sets.
FWM: There is powerful imagery including the tarp being taken off the seats. How important was this as a Director?
My first thought was it resembled ghost-like mountains of plastic hiding beautiful brushed red velvet underneath. I asked if it was possible to uncover the seats at the time of shooting. What you see in the video was the first and only uncovering of the seats. When Sam and Gian, our leads did the unveiling, it was completely silent and all you could hear was the rustling of year and half old plastic. In my head all the ghosts of that theatre applauded, and the energy that had been so stagnant began moving again in the form of beautiful lifts, jumps, and squeals of delight. It was a reopening, a collective breath, a huge release for everyone who was there. We all cried including the tough union guys who were required to be there the entire day. I will never ever forget that moment in that iconic theatre as long as I live. We could feel the presence of Brittany’s grandfather and her mother who passed away a few years earlier, and who loved that theatre. I couldn’t call cut because I wanted the unveiling to continue to every row but I knew we could only unveil one row that day.
FWM: How did pain turn into hope and how was this translated into the choreography?
Directing and choreographing this project was different as I didn’t have to do research about the characters, the history, the time-period. It was shot in real-time just as we are living it. The emotions are real. In some ways it’s like a documentary, a piece of history. We didn’t need to recreate dancing with masks, we needed them for safety. Masks could be removed only after all were tested. And only for specific dances. The ship, The Intrepid lit up red, white, and blue, was very important to me. Having Analise sing maskless while dancers sat six feet apart on the benches wearing masks with no movement, represented everyone taking their own stand and how divided we’ve become. However, the hope is that we will pull through this dark time and come together into the light. We utilized dark and light as important themes in this video. The youth represent hope, light, laughter, love, resilience. They show us what we need to be reminded of. When they dance, they dance with complete freedom and abandonment. Some of what is seen choreographically is coming from the dancers themselves, their individual expression of movement. I directed from that point of view. We have been in a box long enough both at home and on a computer!
FWM: Throughout the video there is symbolism. There are many powerful images of individuals expressing their individuality, yet collectively there was a dance of celebration. Share your insight.
When we filmed the kids we simply put the music on and directed them to be free and just dance! They were so happy to be outside in front of an unexpected audience in Times Square, that they just moved beautifully from their souls. When we were in the studio they had to stay on x’s just like in dance class. It’s very contained, choreographed, structured, and masked. Dancing with masks is so interesting and difficult. It takes away peripheral vision, breathing is difficult, movement is small and stifled.
FWM: How much fun did you have while directing this video? What did you learn?
Looking back I had a blast and wish I could do it again. Except of course the unexpected moments, like the huge Summer Solstice celebration setting up in Times Square the night before we were planning to shoot there. But I loved filming on the streets of NYC where literally anything can happen and you get your best money shots unexpectedly! It would take a book larger than the bible to put into words how much I learned. For one thing, if you want to lose 10 pounds in a week, direct and choreograph a music video during COVID, in multiple locations in New York City with kids. No matter how much planning, elements change at a moments notice and shot lists become null and void. I learned to be open to everything and attached to nothing. It takes a village to make inspiring and powerful art and the best ideas come with collaboration. I’m so grateful for everyone that had any involvement with this music video. It was empowering to have an all-women production team, all creating together. I learned to listen, laugh, and dance, with the kids who are wise beyond their years. Mostly, I learned to never stop learning–is that redundant?
FWM: What is your mission for “We’re Gonna Come Back?”
My mission is to bring hope, light, love, laughter, joy to anyone who watches and hears the words of the song. To teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Wait, did someone else say that? To remind everyone to look to the younger generation, the hopeful exuberant youth, as they are our future, and their light lifts us up in the darkest of times.
FWM: Share your upcoming projects.
Heading to Rome in September with my husband director/writer/actor Anthony Patellis, as we are the American judges on the popular Rai 1 Italian talent show Coppa Italia. Then back on stage in Nunsense starring Semina DeLaurentis. We are in the planning stage of directing a new music video called Hippie Children. I am co-writing and developing a television series called, Tap Out Of It. And continuing to expand my artistic home, Broadway’s Dance Molinari (DMO) to nurture the future stars of stage and screen.
Applause Janine on this exceptional performance.
