John Carrafa

CHOREOGRAPHING A SEDUCTION
info coming soon

WReturning to the cloistered life of a dancer did not seem to be an option. Mr. Carrafa did some television choreography and more films, including ''The Thomas Crown Affair,'' where he created Pierce Brosnan's dance-floor seduction of Rene Russo. ''I did anything I could where dance told a story, though I didn't do music videos,'' he recalled. ''My work with actors came about because the only time when dance was used was when lead actors did it.''

Back in New York, he began to pick up assignments in decidedly oddball shows, among them ''Love! Valour! Compassion!,'' ''Dirty Blonde'' and half-time presentations for the National Basketball Association All-Star games. ''I did an S-and-M lesbian comedy, an independent film by Jennie Livingston called 'Who's the Top?' I was the only guy with all these women.''

He choreographed Encores! presentations of ''Out of This World'' and ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.'' Then came a turning point with ''Urinetown'' and ''Into the Woods,'' and the commercial theater's brand of instant fame.

In ''Urinetown,'' a musical theater spoof directed by John Rando, Mr. Carrafa found the kind of ''wacky thing'' he relished. There were no set dance pieces originally in the show, just musical staging. Inspired by the hilarity of Mark Hollman's score, Mr. Carrafa said, he told Mr. Rando that he thought the show could have a lot of dance, and the director agreed.
''Urinetown'' is about putting on a musical,'' said Mr. Rando, also the director of the Encores! ''Pajama Game'' production and ''Dance of the Vampires.'' ''We had this great idea of creating 'Urinetown' as a bad musical, a wrong musical. We can't. We are not supposed to. Therefore we should. And it will be naughty and dangerous and fun. We spent a lot of time giggling. It's important to find someone like that.''

Mr. Carrafa had worked on ''Dirty Blonde'' with James Lapine, the director and librettist of ''Into the Woods,'' a bittersweet fable that draws on fairy tales to make its point about the consequences of getting what you wish for. Mr. Carrafa's day ended with the run-through of this musical. As the rehearsal crept along, Mr. Lapine, who will also direct Mr. Carrafa's forthcoming project ''Amour,'' called out cheerful encouragement to the actors. Mr. Carrafa, a slender, quiet presence in businesslike work clothes, stood gazing thoughtfully at the stage from a dark orchestra section filled not with audience members but with long, low tables at which men and a woman worked consoles and headphones to cue the show's complex special effects, lighting and sound. �Į�Į'Windshield Wiper'

There were ribbons to be adjusted for the maypole dance. The sequence that Mr. Carrafa has named ''The Windshield Wiper,'' in which the cast sweeps out toward the audience in staggered ranks, was looking good. The actors were obviously tired. But the air vibrated with that sense of privileged community and anticipation peculiar to the theater. ''Like James said,'' Mr. Carrafa observed, ''it's nice to pause and remember how lucky we are to be on Broadway.''

In ''Into the Woods,'' Mr. Carrafa gets to do what he likes best: creating choreography that looks as if it has been made up by the performers on the spur of the moment. ''John has a remarkable talent for turning dancers into actors and actors into dancers,'' Mr. Rando said.

The careful planning for that effect starts with extensive research into period dance styles and other kinds of movement. ''That's the fun for me,'' Mr. Carrafa said. ''Otherwise, every show has the same 10 steps.''
His research assistant Rebecca Katz began work on ''Into the Woods'' by combing through European folk dance compendiums and pictures and videotapes in her own collection and at the dance research division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Mr. Carrafa decided on late-17th-century English country dance forms and material from rap videos for a solo for the savvy Witch, who is played by Vanessa Williams.

Mr. Carrafa keeps a pad beside his bed ''mostly to fantasize about what is the most delicious thing for a particular actor in a particular role in a particular show,'' he said. One of the ideas for ''Into the Woods'' that he scribbled out one night was how to have the musical's two wolves pass Red Riding Hood around in a way that would resemble animals' playing with their food.

He was soon scrutinizing a friend's dog and videotapes on wolves and foraging animals. He does much of his best work in the most unlikely places. He suddenly envisioned the structure of ''Steam Heat'' while walking through Times Square one day.

Mr. Carrafa tends to arrive at a show's first rehearsal with 90 percent of his work done, though he says that he sometimes lets performers think that he doesn't know what he's doing so he can watch them fill in the blanks. That way, they often put more of a personal imprint on a step or gesture.

''What is really great about Carrafa is that his choreography is geared to the actors' styles and weaknesses,'' said Lisa Shriver, his assistant on ''Into the Woods'' and a budding choreographer herself. ''He and Susan Stroman focus on what makes the individual special.''

Mr. Carrafa has a similar regard for the individuality of the numbers he creates. ''Every dance is different,'' he said. ''I look at every kind of dance I can. I've gone from being a dancer to being fascinated with dancing. It's partially that I love puzzles. Dance is a particular kind of moving puzzle, and so engrossing. That's why I feel drawn to Sondheim. He's such a puzzlist.'' Mr. Carrafa even has Cinderella's two blind stepsisters dancing in ''Into the Woods.'' �Į�ĮIt's All in the Weave, ''I love intricate, complex little patterns,'' he said. ''Two blind sisters weaving a pattern with a little English country dance. No one sees it. But that kind of stuff makes my day. We have two arms, two legs. The body seems very limited. And yet dance has an endless variety of possibilities. Endless worlds of movement to explore.

''That fascinates me,'' he continued, ''and it's also that I love bringing people together in this physically social way. The cook likes people to enjoy the meal. I love when the actors ride the joy or passion of a dance. It's as important to me that the actors feel it as that the audience enjoys it. It moves me when I see them go crazy and lose themselves in the dance.''

So is this the secret of great choreography? No, Mr. Carrafa said. It was something much less complicated. ''Caffeine,'' he said, laughing.


home news credits broadway film tv music videos commmercials press contact		A COACH FOR THOSE MOMENTS WHEN AN ACTOR MUST DANCE New York Times, December 24, 2000, by Susan Reiter STEPPING INTO SUCCESS April 19, 2002, by Jennifer Dunning CHOREOGRAPHING A SEDUCTION info coming soon
		CHOREOGRAPHING A SEDUCTION info coming soon WReturning to the cloistered life of a dancer did not seem to be an option. Mr. Carrafa did some television choreography and more films, including ''The Thomas Crown Affair,'' where he created Pierce Brosnan's dance-floor seduction of Rene Russo. ''I did anything I could where dance told a story, though I didn't do music videos,'' he recalled. ''My work with actors came about because the only time when dance was used was when lead actors did it.'' Back in New York, he began to pick up assignments in decidedly oddball shows, among them ''Love! Valour! Compassion!,'' ''Dirty Blonde'' and half-time presentations for the National Basketball Association All-Star games. ''I did an S-and-M lesbian comedy, an independent film by Jennie Livingston called 'Who's the Top?' I was the only guy with all these women.'' He choreographed Encores! presentations of ''Out of This World'' and ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.'' Then came a turning point with ''Urinetown'' and ''Into the Woods,'' and the commercial theater's brand of instant fame. In ''Urinetown,'' a musical theater spoof directed by John Rando, Mr. Carrafa found the kind of ''wacky thing'' he relished. There were no set dance pieces originally in the show, just musical staging. Inspired by the hilarity of Mark Hollman's score, Mr. Carrafa said, he told Mr. Rando that he thought the show could have a lot of dance, and the director agreed. ''Urinetown'' is about putting on a musical,'' said Mr. Rando, also the director of the Encores! ''Pajama Game'' production and ''Dance of the Vampires.'' ''We had this great idea of creating 'Urinetown' as a bad musical, a wrong musical. We can't. We are not supposed to. Therefore we should. And it will be naughty and dangerous and fun. We spent a lot of time giggling. It's important to find someone like that.'' Mr. Carrafa had worked on ''Dirty Blonde'' with James Lapine, the director and librettist of ''Into the Woods,'' a bittersweet fable that draws on fairy tales to make its point about the consequences of getting what you wish for. Mr. Carrafa's day ended with the run-through of this musical. As the rehearsal crept along, Mr. Lapine, who will also direct Mr. Carrafa's forthcoming project ''Amour,'' called out cheerful encouragement to the actors. Mr. Carrafa, a slender, quiet presence in businesslike work clothes, stood gazing thoughtfully at the stage from a dark orchestra section filled not with audience members but with long, low tables at which men and a woman worked consoles and headphones to cue the show's complex special effects, lighting and sound. �Į�Į'Windshield Wiper' There were ribbons to be adjusted for the maypole dance. The sequence that Mr. Carrafa has named ''The Windshield Wiper,'' in which the cast sweeps out toward the audience in staggered ranks, was looking good. The actors were obviously tired. But the air vibrated with that sense of privileged community and anticipation peculiar to the theater. ''Like James said,'' Mr. Carrafa observed, ''it's nice to pause and remember how lucky we are to be on Broadway.'' In ''Into the Woods,'' Mr. Carrafa gets to do what he likes best: creating choreography that looks as if it has been made up by the performers on the spur of the moment. ''John has a remarkable talent for turning dancers into actors and actors into dancers,'' Mr. Rando said. The careful planning for that effect starts with extensive research into period dance styles and other kinds of movement. ''That's the fun for me,'' Mr. Carrafa said. ''Otherwise, every show has the same 10 steps.'' His research assistant Rebecca Katz began work on ''Into the Woods'' by combing through European folk dance compendiums and pictures and videotapes in her own collection and at the dance research division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Mr. Carrafa decided on late-17th-century English country dance forms and material from rap videos for a solo for the savvy Witch, who is played by Vanessa Williams. Mr. Carrafa keeps a pad beside his bed ''mostly to fantasize about what is the most delicious thing for a particular actor in a particular role in a particular show,'' he said. One of the ideas for ''Into the Woods'' that he scribbled out one night was how to have the musical's two wolves pass Red Riding Hood around in a way that would resemble animals' playing with their food. He was soon scrutinizing a friend's dog and videotapes on wolves and foraging animals. He does much of his best work in the most unlikely places. He suddenly envisioned the structure of ''Steam Heat'' while walking through Times Square one day. Mr. Carrafa tends to arrive at a show's first rehearsal with 90 percent of his work done, though he says that he sometimes lets performers think that he doesn't know what he's doing so he can watch them fill in the blanks. That way, they often put more of a personal imprint on a step or gesture. ''What is really great about Carrafa is that his choreography is geared to the actors' styles and weaknesses,'' said Lisa Shriver, his assistant on ''Into the Woods'' and a budding choreographer herself. ''He and Susan Stroman focus on what makes the individual special.'' Mr. Carrafa has a similar regard for the individuality of the numbers he creates. ''Every dance is different,'' he said. ''I look at every kind of dance I can. I've gone from being a dancer to being fascinated with dancing. It's partially that I love puzzles. Dance is a particular kind of moving puzzle, and so engrossing. That's why I feel drawn to Sondheim. He's such a puzzlist.'' Mr. Carrafa even has Cinderella's two blind stepsisters dancing in ''Into the Woods.'' �Į�ĮIt's All in the Weave, ''I love intricate, complex little patterns,'' he said. ''Two blind sisters weaving a pattern with a little English country dance. No one sees it. But that kind of stuff makes my day. We have two arms, two legs. The body seems very limited. And yet dance has an endless variety of possibilities. Endless worlds of movement to explore. ''That fascinates me,'' he continued, ''and it's also that I love bringing people together in this physically social way. The cook likes people to enjoy the meal. I love when the actors ride the joy or passion of a dance. It's as important to me that the actors feel it as that the audience enjoys it. It moves me when I see them go crazy and lose themselves in the dance.'' So is this the secret of great choreography? No, Mr. Carrafa said. It was something much less complicated. ''Caffeine,'' he said, laughing.