The integration of dance as a dramatic element in broadway musical theatre

Robert G Dame, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Abstract

This study traces the development and growth of dance on the Broadway stage and the parallel growth of the effectiveness of choreography in enhancing the musical Theatre libretto. The study surveys the origins and early evolution of stage dance in the United States from 1775 to the introduction of ballet choreography in 1922. It concludes with an examination of Selected scripts which use choreography to dramatize the musical Theatre libretto, 1922 to 1990.