Noah Racey’s PULSE, A New Dance Musical at Asolo Repertory Theatre

From the opening breath of this 90-minute dance musical, you'll be wrapped in the artistry that is true American song and dance. Racey and his New York Song & Dance company take us on a joyous trip from the wonderfully ridiculous to the exquisitely sublime as they remind us that it isn't the smoke, mirrors, or special effects that move us most in theatre, but the simple gift of a song and a dance. Using rhythm as a common denominator, the company will sing, tap, drum and virtually float their way through American music from the classics of vaudeville to the dance hits of today, as well as original music created specifically for the production.

“My main intent with this show was to do what has been done since the dawn of time, harness that joyous moment that happens in a performance, when the lyrics of a song have captured the hearts of the audience just right, and singing just isn’t enough to express the magnitude of feeling going on inside of the performer, so he or she has to start doing a little step. That to me is the magic of this company, it’s emotions; simple, complex, tiny and huge all at the same time, those glorious feelings fill the room when you go into a dance. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little soft shoe or a big break-out production number, the steps don’t mean a thing if you aren’t connected to the human heart that’s doing them. But when it works, and you have that connection, the act of doing a song and a dance becomes something much bigger and transcendent. Everyone deep down has a yearning to be up there with us, and this show makes the audience feel like they are.”— Noah Racey