BACKSTAGE TOUR MARC KIMELMAN THE CHALLENGE TO RISE UP
At Transcendence, every artist and volunteer who helps put on a show has their own “dot,” something that connects them to Transcendence and our mission to create the Best Life Ever. For Marc Kimelman, Choreographer and Associate Director for “Shall We Dance,” the third show in our Broadway Under the Stars season, his dot was years in the making. “I’ve been hearing about Transcendence for the past four years from friends and colleagues who have gone out to the West Coast to be part of the shows,” Marc explains. “It always sounded like an interesting place to work, something out of the ordinary. I had been trying to figure out a way to get out there when a good friend of mine, Matthew Rossoff, who had directed another summer show, recommended me last year. I interviewed with Amy, Brad, and Stephan, and it seemed like a good fit. They wanted me to work on ‘Shall We Dance,’ which was right up my alley.”
Marc has been a choreographer in New York City for years and has lent his incredible talents to everything from Broadway’s “A Bronx Tale” to Vogue magazine as a movement consultant. We were thrilled to have Marc bring his contemporary style to the Transcendence stage. with more liberating movements. I’m a big fan of hip-hop. For ‘Shall We Dance,’ I choreographed a dance battle to one of my favorite songs of all time, ‘Sing, Sing, Sing.’ It was ballet versus hip-hop versus tap versus swing. I really enjoyed working with the talented cast and creating something amazing to show the audience.” In each Transcendence production, we encourage our creative team to both showcase their strengths and challenge themselves to go beyond their comfort zones. This is something Marc truly excelled at when working on the tango number “El “I love the big, classic musical numbers,” Marc says, “but I also love the newer styles
Tango de Roxanne” from “Moulin Rouge.” Marc admitted that partner work wasn’t in his wheelhouse, so he was a little hesitant to work on the number in preproduction. But of all the performances in “Shall We Dance,” “Roxanne” turned out to be an audience favorite. “People loved it every night, and we got many standing ovations. I’m quite proud of how it turned out, and working on ‘Roxanne’ reminded me that when you’re challenged so much, you have to work harder on something, and that can really pay off. Transcendence challenged me in a lot of ways, and I really had the best time.”
“As an artist, it was great to feel so completely supported by the people of Sonoma and all of the team at
Transcendence. I’m back on the East Coast now, ready to jump back into work. I want to remember all the wonder I felt while on the West Coast and bring the Transcendence attitude to my New York City life.”
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