Beginnings of the Theater

• According to John Kenrick, though it can be argued that the Broadway theater began in the 1700s with Shakespeare's plays and ballads, the Broadway theater as we know it today began in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Initially, the theater was not given much significance due to the fact that many considered the subject matter of the first few initial productions to be lackadaisical in nature. However, the popularity of the Broadway theater persisted and soon became wildly popular with members of the middle class who were seeking entertainment.
  
  

Introduction of Dance

• According to Clive Barnes, an influential theater and dance critic whose career spans nearly 60 years, "The Black Crook," which began production in 1866 "opened in New York City at Niblo's Gardens, making history not only as, just conceivably, the first Broadway musical, but also introducing a new and wide public to the glories of ballet and toe dancing." According to Clive Barnes, with the new idea of dance within the theater surfacing, "George Balanchine became one of the most recognized choreographers of Broadway dance history, having created the 1936 edition of Ziegfeld Follies. While Balanchine handled the ballet aspects of the production, it was another choreographer---Robert Alton---who brought forth the first modern dance, which still closely resemble many pieces performed by New York stage dancers today."
  
  

The Roaring 40s

• According to Clive Barnes, "Balanchine himself broke new ground for dance on Broadway in 1936 with his next show, the Rodgers and Hart musical comedy 'On Your Toes,' where dance was for the first time in America incorporated into the plot. Balanchine continued to work on Broadway with 'Babes in Arms,' 'I Married an Angel,' 'Keep Off the Grass,' 'Louisiana Purchase,' 'Cabin in the Sky' and 'The Lady Comes Across,' most of which were in production throughout the 1940s. However, at the end of this era, a new group of dancers and choreographers began to emerge.
  
  

Bring Out the Gypsies

• gypsy woman image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  After the major influences of Balanchine and Alton had settled, a new breed of Broadway dancers began to emerge. According to Clive Barnes, these new dancers garnered the name "Gypsies." Many consider the Bob Fosse, to be the most well-known and revered "gypsy" of them all. According to the website "lovetoknowdance.com," Fosse "revolutionized Broadway dance history by creating unconventional movements and creatively using body parts in ways never attempted before. Today the Fosse style is most easily recognized by his immortal usage of props---canes, top hats and gloves---and is also noted for its provocative approach to the arts."
  
  

Modern Broadway Dance

• According to Clive Barnes, the "tremendous dance energy that characterized Broadway from "Oklahoma!" through "West Side Story" and "Chicago" to "A Chorus Line" is missing, with only a few composers such as Andrew Lloyd Webber demanding more than minimal choreography. However, according to the website "lovetoknowdance.com," "the late 1990s brought us "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk," which is regarded as one of the biggest dance musicals since Fosse's final creations from the 1970s." Surely dance within the modern Broadway stage will continue, as new forms of dance are sure to emerge.