You Can’t Stop The Beat
Benefiting The Actors Fund for Covid-19 Relief
As featured in The Washington Post
and New York Times
Co-Directed and Choreographed
by Janet Roston
DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER, SDC
DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER, SDC
Visit Janet’s Dance/Theater Company, Mixed eMotion Theatrix
The Boy From OZ
Celebration Theater, Hollywood, CA
Choreographer
"Best Choreography"
Ovation Award
"Best Choreography"
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Winner
NAACP Nomination
The choreography by Janet Roston is the most thrilling and high-powered dance I have ever seen in a space this size. Roston’s use of space and movement is smart and impressive, once the dance begins the walls expand with each and every move.
ryanmluevano.com (full review)
Big and bold performances, bright retro choreography… One of the most exciting aspects of the show is the way choreographer Janet Roston brings the various moments of Allen’s story to life via dance.
musicalsinla.com (full review)
…it’s literally action center stage that includes some pretty wild and furious dance numbers choreographed with wondrous excitement by Janet Roston.
broadwayworld.com (full review)
Janet Roston’s choreography deserves a paragraph of its own. Lush and inventive, filling the stage, incorporating witty Fosse-esque moves for Liza’s numbers, it’s a kinetic work of art in itself.
thelosangelespost.com (full review)
The Celebration discovery is aided and abetted every step of the way by
ace choreographer Janet Roston, who outdoes herself in production number after production number
stagescenela.com (full review)
From the opening “The Lives of Me” to the phantasmagoric “I Go to Rio” curtain call, "The Boy From Oz" is a joyous, sensitive, electrifying benchmark for this company. Whether Michael Mullen’s magnificent costume parade or choreographer Janet Roston’s superlative dances, this is first-rate theater.
Los Angeles Times (full review)
Choreographer Janet Roston has accomplished a terrific achievement—her choreography on that postage stamp sized stage by her seven person chorus is stunning.
haineshisway.com (full review)
Choreographer Janet Roston makes fantastic use of quite a small stage. You can hardly believe there's space for song and dance numbers but Roston makes it work
edgemedia.com (full review)
The choreography and costumes are to a level that you would expect in a big Broadway production. Outstanding!
PerformingArtsLive.com (full review)
Anaïs Nin: Unbound
Director/Choreographer/
Co-Creator
National:
Greenway Court Theater, Los Angeles
New Vic Theatre, Santa Barbara
Musco Center for the Arts, Orange, CA
International:
Festival L’OFF Avignon, France
La Nouvelle Eve, Paris, France
International Theatre Festival, Casablanca, Morocco
Formerly “Anaïs, A Dance Opera”
visit anaisninunbound.com for more information
What a terrific production! Choreography and music are brilliantly paired.
Performing Arts Live (full review)
“Janet Roston’s choreography takes on Nin’s desire to be loved by her father, her sometimes emotional emptiness and her sexual appetites brilliantly… a production filled with gorgeous visuals and sounds that both delight and educate.
seedance.com (full review)
RECOMMENDED - TOP TEN Stage Raw
“Roston and Shapiro’s hybrid theatrical is a smashing show. Roston’s choreography is a thrilling interplay of principals and ensemble”
StageRaw.com (full review)
“Conceived and created by Janet Roston and Cindy Shapiro the Dance /opera is a must see for everyone….a masterpiece of storytelling. The choreography by Janet Roston was both brilliant and daring.”
DiscoverHollywood.com (full review)
“Sensuous, compelling and thought provoking”
Huffington Post (full review)
“Elegant and unique… Employing edgy music and thoughtful compositions, complemented by Roston’s dreamy, lyrical and passionate choreography”
ArtsBeatLA.com (fulle review)
INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS
"This production succeeds extremely well through a series of tableaux vividly representing her life in phrases, in moments. Nothing is forgotten, props, lights, music, dance, text, all with precision and a well-constructed story. A marvelous piece that we could very well see again in Europe in the near future."
revue-spectacles.com
“Each year the Festival Off of Avignon reveals a special production that stands out for its immense creativity. The energy and amazing dynamics of the dancers, the gorgeous voice of the singer, the beautiful projections and the music take the audience into a dream-like universe. It is one of the strongest productions of the Festival Off 2017.”
MPA Communications
"This show is large in all ways, style, scope and quality. The American troupe from Los Angeles of six dancers and a singer are all excellent. The hall was full and the audience embraced the production with enthusiasm."
regarts.org
The Color Purple
Celebration Theater, Hollywood, CA
Choreographer
"Best Choreography"
Ovation Award
"Best Production of a Musical" Ovation Award
"Musical of the Year"
LA Weekly
"Best Choreography"
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Nomination
"Best Choreography"
LA Weekly Award Nomination
The joint is jumping over at Celebration Theatre with its raucous, exultant staging of “The Color Purple.” The strength of the production is its unabashed theatricality, and Matthews and company, with choreography by Janet Roston, work wonders with the songs
Critics Choice, Los Angeles Times (full review)
…a blisteringly talented cast, all displaying powerful voices while elevating Janet Roston's superb choreography, which is beautifully realized despite tight space constraints.
Pick of the Week, L.A. Weekly (full review)
Janet Roston's splendid choreography employs an impressive array of styles.
Critics Choice, Backstage.com
Thanks to Janet Roston's exhilarating choreography the stage is never cramped; what results is a visual splendor that excites the mind and the senses.
Broadwayworld.com (full review)
"..cast members execute choreographer Janet Roston’s exciting dance moves in production numbers like the R&B-infused “Big Dog.”
Stagescenela.com
"This Production of "The Color Purple: The Musical" is Amazing! Choreographer Janet Roston deftly traffics the largest company I have ever seen in Celebration’s performance space. Especially impressive dance numbers include the exquisitely intricate "African Homeland”
"Your eyes will bug out when you see the perfectly executed choreography by the dazzling Janet Roston."
Stageandcinema.com
Cabaret
Celebration Theatre, Hollywood
Choreographer
Director, Michael Matthews
“Best Choreography”
Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle, Winner
“Best Choreography”
Stage Raw, Nomination
Diverting us from the ugliness festering beyond the nightclub’s doors are floor shows that, as choreographed by Janet Roston, entice with thrusts, grinds and even a bit of pole dancing, not to mention a Kama Sutra’s worth of sexual positions.
Los Angeles Times (full review)
In short, it’s a hell of a show. It’s a dandy entertainment and it’s yet another bit of palpable evidence as to why director Michael Matthews, and choreographer Janet Roston are a few of the local treasures of Los Angeles Theater. Roston expertly knows how to make the most of the songs and the dances. We are having such a good time that we barely notice the dark side until the laughter curdles inside us and we fully realize that the fun, which is contagious, is at our own expense.
Stage and cinema.com (full review)
Janet Roston does magnificent work as choreographer throughout, making the Kit Kat Club explode with raw sensuality within this tiny space.
Broadwayworld.com (full review)
Choreographer Janet Roston gives the production a physical language through dance and movement that outwardly reflects the ensemble’s collective rage as well as their reckless abandon when it comes to scratching the itch of the flesh.
MusicalsinLA.com (full review)
Once again Janet Roston’s choreography sizzles in this limited space. She manages to open up the walls of this tiny black box to what feels like a football field full of kick lines and jazzy struts. All the big dance numbers’ use of circle formations and fast-moving lines keep your eyes thoroughly engaged—it’s a kaleidoscope on stage that drips with sweat.
RyanLeuvano.com (full review)
Dark as Cabaret can be director Matthews and choreographer Janet Roston make sure not to overwhelm us with the darkness, musical numbers like the sassy schoolgirl striptease that is Roston’s “Don’t Tell Mama” or the pulse-pounding “Mein Herr” or the gender-blurring “Two Ladies” or the showstopping “Money” stint not an iota on entertainment value.
Stage Scene LA.com (full review)
Striking 12
The Laguna Playhouse
Laguna Beach, CA
Director/Choreographer
Directed with sweet simplicity by Janet Roston, Striking 12 is a holiday love letter that will bring you back to yourself...
musicalsinla.com (full review)
Under Roston's meticulous direction, the four actors take you on a fun-filled odyssey that is bound to move each of you in different ways…director Janet Roston avoids choppiness, maintaining a steady flow throughout…
BroadwayWorld.com (full review)
Director Janet Roston opts wisely not to overstage Striking 12. Roston’s biggest inspiration has been to split Vigoda’s original role in two, allowing Duchowny to take centerstage, enacting the musical’s central role with warmth, charm, and heart, executing Roston’s moves with grace.
stagescenela.com (full review)
Janet Roston’s direction is subtle and precise. Duchowny dances an exquisite and delicate number brilliantly choreographed by the director, Janet Roston…
HollywoodTimes.net (full review)
Bronco Billy
Skylight Theatre,
Los Angeles
Choreographer
“Best Choreography” Stage Raw Nomination
Perhaps the most impressive element of this world premiere however is Janet Roston’s personality-driven choreography. Her skill in choreographing to character is astonishing, and she can do it in any style on any size stage for any level of artist and make them shine. Whether she’s using a simple two-step to build a budding romance or creating a whopper of a production number to highlight every asset – and rodeo trick – the talented cast has in their back pocket, she succeeds in furthering the story through movement. It’s hard to describe but, in essence, it creates a physical arc to the show that transports you to a different place from where you started.
musicalsinla.blogspot.com (full review)
Thanks to the impeccable choreography of Roston, the Wild West Show troupe thoroughly entertains the audience with their brilliant execution of the most magnificently entertaining production numbers to ever grace a stage..
BroadwayWorld.com (full review)
What really energizes this show and makes it so entertaining is the splendid music, singing and dancing (Janet Roston’s choreography is remarkable) The twenty-eight musical numbers cross a range of styles, and are performed with infectious élan by the ensemble.
Ovation Award-winning Choreographer, Janet Roston has infused the proceedings with plenty of breezy dance phrases and abstractions, which employ an intriguing variety of disciplines in telling the story. She also shrewdly gets a few extra chuckles from the humor found in the obvious contrast of say, having a slick, glitzy–and decidedly ‘disco-fied’ ‘hoe-down’ in a honky-tonk.
buckingtrends.me (full review)
There isn’t a weak link in this 14-member cast, which nails Janet Roston’s thrilling, captivating, clever choreography, slathering spectators with enough joy to electrify Disneyland.
stageandcinema.com (full review)
A fun “Bronco Billy” roams the Wild West to a disco beat. Wholly embracing its preposterousness, this is a sprightly, enjoyable show. The project is packed with all-stars including choreographer Janet Roston.
Award-winning choreographer Janet Roston spices things up with one exhilarating dance number after another, from rodeo leaps to Studio 54 hustle.
stagescenela.com (full review)
Psyche - A Modern Rock Opera
Greenway Court Theatre
Los Angeles
Choreographer
Breathtaking pictures emerge as the integration of choreography, movement, dance and staging by director Michael Matthews and choreographer Janet Roston seamlessly pull all the visual elements together. There is no careless movement here…I suggest you think of it not as a musical theatre piece or as a typical opera but as a living work of art.”
broadwayworld.com
The unarguable triumph of Psyche: A Modern Rock Opera is the choreography of Janet Roston, which sets a company of 10 to dizzying displays of complex movement.
Terrific choreography by Janet Roston
LATimes.com
Janet Roston’s superb choreography is fluid and, at times, percussive --such as when it occasionally incorporates claps and fleshy slaps into the cast’s movement
Psyche: A Modern Rock Opera gives Los Angeles audiences the chance to see Ovation Award-winning choreographer Janet Roston strut her electrifying stuff as never before, since just about every musical number includes dance or movement, and whether modern or jazz or balletic or aerial, Roston aces them all.
stagescenela.com
beautifully fluid and original choreography by Janet Roston...
guardianlv.com
The choreography is outstanding. Janet Roston’s unique mixture of simple primitive movement combined with lyrical modern dance and quick staccato moves crafts a vision of myth and ceremonial happenings
thehollywoodtimes.net
Gatsby Redux
Los Angeles Music Center
Moves After Dark
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Site-Specific Work
Choreographer
"A gorgeous dance story unfolds that is passionate and involving. Use of the amphitheater and Blue Ribbon Garden was ingenious and immersive. Janet Roston did a superb job on the lively, upbeat and sometimes jazzy choreography. In the final section very upper crust body language and attitude, mixed with clever dance combinations, highlighted the strong technique of the dancers. It felt like we were a part of this swingin' soiree."
Broadway World (full reivew)
"Ms. Roston, whose amazing work is currently on display at Celebration Theatre’s “Cabaret," is one of L.A.’s best choreographers. Her “Gatsby Redux” transports the audience to the 20’s with touching, wry and animated movement. Roston made full use of the entire garden with large and small group choreography taking advantage of the deep depth of field to create both intimate and large-scale moments."
Stage and Cinema (full review)
"My favorite piece from Moves After Dark: “Gatsby Redux” was by Janet Roston and Mixed eMotion Theatrix. Three different locations, fabulously “tipsy” dancing ladies, beautiful costumes and to complete the choreography projections transforming the courtyard of the Walt Disney Concert Hall into a roaring 20’s party."
Jamie Lynn, Executive Producer, Dancescape LA
"Stunning…Roston’s movement spoke to the 1920’s Charleston/flapper era, a lively garden party-like atmosphere with beautifully detailed costumes."
LA Dance Chronicle (full review)
The Producers
Celebration Theatre, Hollywood
Choreographer
Director Matthews is aided and abetted by Janet Roston, whose choreography I hesitate to call “lush” since it all takes place on a postage-stamp size stage, but which is… well, lush: she manages to make the small cast seem as plentiful as a Broadway chorus, and reinvents some of the original musical’s well-known dance moves with wit and style.
Dan Berkowitz, The Los Angeles Post
And now a word or two about Ms. Janet Roston’s deliriously wacky choreography that is filled with references to dances from every musical you’ve ever seen, from Fiddler on the Roof to even two steps from The King and I, that is homage and tribute to all the great Broadway choreographers of the past while stamping the production with her own distinctive brand of gaiety and heart and a gorgeous sense of just plain fun. It is irresistible and Roston deserves full credit for providing the ensemble with just the sort of graceful clutziness that puts a smile on the face of any audience member not sucking on a sour lemon drop.
stageandcinema.com (full review)
I can't say enough about the choreography ~ there's a little of everything you can imagine and all so well done. The energy and enjoyment it adds to the show is immeasurable.
broadwayworld.com (full review)
Celebration treasures Matthews and Roston direct and choreograph with their trademark imagination and flair. Fans of the Broadway musical (songs by Brooks and book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan) will delight in rediscovering its many show-stopping production numbers choreographed from scratch by the ever brilliant Roston
stagescenela.com (full review)
“The Producers” is indeed akin to viewing an all-new and freshly entertaining version of the musical.The vital and vibrant elements of the production are on display from the start; they include an exuberant dance ensemble (terrific choreography by Janet Roston), who casts naughty come-hither glances while tapping and twirling about the stage
Mutt House
Kirk Douglas Theater, Center Theater Group
Choreographer
Choreographer Janet Roston infuses each of the mutt's numbers with just enough canine characteristics to keep paw-loving audience members thoroughly entertained and laughing with delight. Beginning with Eddie and the dogs opening numbers I guarantee you will fall in love with each of these rogue characters longing to be free.
Broadway World (full review)
Accompanied by an onstage band led by music director Anthony Lucca, and set to Janet Roston’s snazzy choreography, the numbers get their narrative jobs done with cheerful enthusiam.
LA Times (full review)
Choreographer Janet Roston’s has created pooch-perfect dance numbers, from the show-opening “Get Me Out Of Here” to the Digger salute that is “Naturally Cool” to “In Junior High,” with the mutts taking on human form to remind Eddie of the days he was “a superstar in his own freak show.”
Stage Scene LA (full review)
Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera
American Repertory Theater's
Club Oberon
Boston, MA
Director/Choreographer
“Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera” is a lot like the scandal it’s named for: a little lurid, a little tough to swallow and undeniably entertaining. Director Janet Roston has found some fantastic performers to carry it off. With heightened emotions, the roar of the crowd, the insane but very human characters, it’s like “Black Swan” on ice. When “Tonya and Nancy” nails a moment such as Gillooly’s hilarious lament or an aerialist simulating midair figure skating — it’s like watching a skater land that perfect triple Lutz.
Boston Globe
"Director/Choreographer Janet Roston distabilizes figure and ground to create the illusion of competitive figure skaters…An exhilarating in-the-round theater experience."
Richard Cambridge, Artsake.MassCulturalCouncil.org
Director Janet Roston doesn’t just play the story for laughs; both Tonya and Nancy are portrayed as somewhat sympathetic. Roston makes great use of the smallish space. Actors move through the audience, sing from every corner of the room and occasionally climb over the balcony and sing standing on tables.
The Who's Tommy
East West Players
Los Angeles, CA
Choreographer
Impressively staged…intensely performed by East West Players. The strong-voiced cast commands the space, bouncing through Janet Roston’s choreography, devouring the stage.
A 1960’s through 80’s time frame inspire a slew of innovative costumes and choreography. Choreographer Roston gives her indefatigable, triple-threat-tastic ensemble abundant fancy footwork in dance number after dance number.
shAme
King King Nightclub
Hollywood
Director/Choreographer
Director-choreographer Janet Roston uses King King's grunge chic club space, with its exposed brick and steel beams, to set an aesthetic that emphasizes raw performance.
Los Angeles Times (full review)
Who knew that all the material needed was an eclectic rock score by Mark Governor and a little direction and choreography, both achieved with clarity and wit on the part of Janet Roston, to kick its dry old husk into life?
Director/choreographer Roston uses nearly every square inch of Hollywood’s King King nightclub to pilot Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth to their respective destinies…the evening is vibrant.
“Music is catchy and the performances rock. And there’s no shAme in that!”
StageSceneLA.com
An ensemble of 10 uses the saga of Puritan guilt as a valid exploration of “The Interior of a Heart” under director-choreographer Janet Roston’s snappy staging.
The Wanting with moxy phinx
Director Janet Roston's choreography is tight, energetic, and extremely sophisticated...the sense of detail in the movement suggests a mood that's both kinky and beguiling.
L.A. Weekly
Janet Roston’s direction and impeccable choreography, the perverse grasping, grinding and pulling away make this production hard to dislike, ignore or forget…it is nothing short of a small masterpiece.
SoCal.com
Director and choreographer Janet Roston blends the musical and dance performances seamlessly...it offers a music/dance/theatre experience like nothing else you will see in Los Angeles this season.
DanceHelp.com
Failure, A Love Story
Coeurage Theater Company
Ovation Award Nominee, Best Production
Choreographer
Selected for Center Theatre Group’s Block Party, Kirk Douglas Theatre, 2017
When the entire company suddenly segues into a rousing musical tribute to Jenny June’s arch rival Johnny Weissmuller, choreographed to precision perfection by Janet Roston, the audience is guaranteed the surprises will never cease.
…”Johnny Weissmuller,” choreographed by Janet Roston is a great number, with the perfect amount of corny, cleanly and sharply danced by all.
Broadwayworld.com (full review)
Add to all this Janet Roston’s delightful “Johnny Weissmuller” choreography that has the entire cast kicking up their heels and you’ve got far more than simply a “play with music.
Stagescenela.com (full review)
Once On This Island
International City Theater
Choreographer
"Best Choreography"
NAACP Award Nomination
Janet Roston's lithe, folk-flavored choreography convulses the stage.
Los Angeles Times
Flaherty's music matches up equally well with choreography by Janet Roston that has an authentically primitive look whether joyous, savage or delicate.
The Orange County Register
Roston’s high-octane choreography is as integral to the story as the lyrics.
Daily Breeze
The Tanjore Project
Dance Spectrum
Ivar Theater
Choreographer
Winner, Muse Award for
Outstanding Choreography
Palm Desert
Choreography Festival
There’s a special art to getting noticed and remembered on a program of short pieces by many choreographers…clarity of purpose is a must…the trick to being memorable may lie in projecting a singe high-profile concept…as in the juxtaposition of antique Barat Natyam from India with contemporary hip-hop and jazz dancing in Janet Roston’s The Tanjore Project.
Los Angeles Times