From DallasVoice.com

Dance
Look no further
By Arnold Wayne Jones - Staff Writer
Feb 16, 2006 - 7:43:00 PM

Think A Few Good Men are hard to find? Not when the homoerotic tour Dancin' bullies its way into North Texas this weekend



A Few Good Men ... Dancin’ features 15 athletic dancers
Ever since Michael Flatley riverdanced his way onto the stages of the world with his Irish clogging, the market for large, athletic, globetrotting casts dancing away with box office gold has been insatiable: "Stomp," "Tap Dogs," "Burn the Floor" the list goes on.

But of all of them, few seem or sound quite so homoerotic as "A Few Good Men Dancin'." Maybe it's the "don't ask, don't tell" mystique of a name that suggests Marines who know how to plie and entrechat. Maybe it's the advertisements, which show ripped, shirtless, sweaty men leaping through the air. Or maybe it's the Chippendales Effect: A dance troupe made up of 10 men, all with experience in ballet and modern dance, hardly sounds like a bastion of heterosexuality.

(Naturally, it helps cultivate the queer appeal knowing that at least one of the cast members Dorrell Martin is openly gay.)

Whatever the reason, there's no denying the appeal of a show that includes a wide range of dance styles set to a panorama of music, most performed with acrobatic skill that rivals Cirque du Soleil.

Openly gay artist Dorrell Martin
The formula seems to be working. The brainchild of choreographer Jeff Amsden (who has worked with notables like Rob Marshall and Michael Kidd, and who once dated Paula Abdul), "A Few Good Men Dancin'" has received raves from publications such as The New York Times, which called it "intoxicating A show with lots of zip, pep and punch."

This weekend, the muscular company brings its tour to the Arlington Convention Center, featuring the original North American cast.

"A Few Good Men Dancin'," Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballpark Way, Arlington. Feb. 18-19. 817-459-5000. Prices and showtimes not available. For information, call 818-344-6219.


This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition of February 17, 2006.

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