Gotta Dance! ★★★★★

In the middle of the first act of the delightful Gotta Dance!, the company performs a number from Contact, the musical dance play directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman that opened at Lincoln Center in 2000 and became the surprise hit of that season. As the iconic character Girl in the Yellow Dress (Afra Hines, terrific) enters and starts taking over the dance floor, it’s all but impossible for the audience not to notice that the title of the song being danced to encapsulates the whole show: “Simply Irresistible”.

And that’s the truth of the matter, for resistance is futile against the dozen-plus numbers in “Gotta Dance!”, the consistently exuberant revue by The York Theatre and American Dance Machine. As an organization, ADM has taken on the task of preserving and reconstructing classic musical theatre choreography, a vital mission when musical revivals often opt to try new choreography instead of repeating what’s worked before. With Gotta Dance!, directors Nikki Feirt Atkins (the show’s conceiver) and Randy Skinner present what has to be the most engaging history lesson since Hamilton. It’s that much fun.

Seeing all-time classic numbers like Jerome Robbins’ “Cool” from West Side Story or Michael Bennett and Bob Avian’s “One” from A Chorus Line will likely remind you why musical theater hooked you in the first place, and those numbers rightfully close their respective halves. Interspersed with those greats are some unexpected, more recent delectations, including Joey McKneely’s sassy “Teach Me How to Shimmy” from Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Christopher Wheeldon’s gorgeous titular pas de deux from “An American in Paris”. Ben Vereen, the original Leading Player in Pippin, was in attendance the night the show was reviewed, so even though it didn’t need the boost, Bob Fosse’s “Manson Trio” number carried an extra charge of frisson and, given the state of worldly affairs at the moment, relevance. Finally, if forced to name a favorite number of the night, it would be “Mr. Monotony” from Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, itself a revue of great dance numbers. Sung beautifully by Hines, then danced gorgeously by Georgina Pazcoguin, Barton Cowperthwaite and Taylor Stanley, it is anything but monotonous.

How great to see a show that puts front and center the brilliant dancers who are far too often considered mere ensemble members. Here, they’re not just essential; they’re the pulse that keeps the whole theater vibrating. In addition to the aforementioned, every member of the company deserves flowers for their wonderful contributions: Brandon Burks, Anthony Cannarella, Deanna Doyle, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Jessica Lee Goldwyn, Jess LeProtto, Kendall LeShanti, Drew Minard, Samantha Siegel and Blake Zelesnikar. With a company this talented, great music (directed by Eugene Gwozdz), and wonderful choreography from start to final curtain, Gotta Dance! is an unmissable celebration.