The NEW Jack Cole Dancers' CLUB ACT is reminiscent of Jack Cole's original troupe of dancers who, over one hundred years ago, made history performing in iconic clubs such as The Rainbow Room and The Embassy Club. Our CLUB ACT is hot off of a sold-out inaugural run this past June at The Midnight Theater at Hudson Yards, with roaring audience approval and everyone saying they want one thing... MORE!
The COLE JAZZ Team is now developing an expanded version of the show through a Residency at CUNY and The Laguardia Performing Arts center, with a New York premiere set for Spring 2026 at The Cutting Room, with a West End premiere to follow.
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Jack Cole was the man who put Jazz Dance on the commercial map in America, who put Indian Classical Dance to Jazz music and created Hindu Swing, who was the only choreographer Marilyn Monroe would work with, who shaped Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, and other stars of the Hollywood era, who gave a young Gwen Verdon a chance and sparked her rise to stardom. His work spanned mediums, from Broadway shows to iconic films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend was his first collaboration with Marilyn), Three for the Show, There’s No Business Like Show Business, On The Riviera, Kismet, and more. His provocative fusion of world dances was unlike anything ever seen before on the commercial stage, and folks were in awe of his innovative mind.
However, it was largely Cole’s work on the nightclub stage that first led to the popular spread of American Jazz Dance, so it is through this junction in time we now look. ​​​​​​Directed and choreographed by Cam Loeser, the CLUB ACT is a groundbreaking new concept and the only existing performance venture of its kind. The act transports its audience back in time to a roaring, scintillating supper club of the early 1900s, and celebrates the lineage and evolution of Jazz Dance through the lens of Jack Cole's legacy.
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​It is time to bring this titillating and eye-opening production to the next level, and we want YOU to be on this journey with us!
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THEN
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The course of dance history was changed when Jack Cole commenced extensive research into various global dance modalities. He trained with Uday Shankar and La Meri, becoming a master of the Classical Indian Dance form, Bharatanatyam, as well as Asadata Dafora, Mei Lanfang, Eduardo Cansino, all cultural movement experts, seeking profound physical immersion in an array of world and vernacular styles of dance. With this knowledge, Cole was able to theatricalize these dances for the stage and film, without losing the integrity of their cultural roots. Cole's style soon became the defining style of Theatrical Jazz Dance in America, and paved the way for many iconic artists who followed in his footsteps. Before Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins.... there was Cole.
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NOW
We aim to reflect the care Jack Cole took to instill truth into his work by bringing those who have been historically unrepresented, but have contributed vastly to the identity of Jazz, back to the forefront of the conversation. The COLE JAZZ Team is committed to casting artists that represent the global majority, as well as the many dance and music backgrounds that relate to Jazz. In terms of choreography, we are proud to have Angel Kaba (African Choreographer/Consultant) and Ramita Ravi (Bharatanatyam Choreographer/Consultant) on our NY creative team. Our diverse company of performers are trained in Jack Cole's dynamic and nuanced style of dance, and collaborate with Cam Loeser, as well as Kaba and Ravi, to ensure that every aspect of the work is actively handled with authenticity and respect.
Though much of our show is a historical tribute to “old school” movement, we are bringing the work into the 21st century by actively challenging the notion that gender determines what roles our dancers are “right” for. Rather, we assign dancers according to their ability to capture the essences that exist within the movement… ie. aloof, feline, cool.​​​​​
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EAST COAST WEST END
COLE JAZZ is gearing up for a West Coast premiere of THE CLUB ACT in Spring of 2026. The Cutting Room (pictured below), a stunning, period-appropriate theater in the heart of Manhattan, is excited to offer their space for this iteration. We will take advantage of this opportunity as an affordable "out of town" developmental process for a West End production in Summer/ Fall 2026.
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COLE JAZZ has been offered a Development and Performance Residency through CUNY at The Laguardia Performing Arts Center in New York City. This will be a 2 week partially funded residency for developing the CLUB ACT with our company and musicians. The residency will culminate with a showing of the work at LPAC's The Little Theater. Following these 2 weeks we will then transition to The Cutting Room for our NY premiere, along with an anticipated short engagement at a larger venue in NY, such as The Joyce.
As much of the show's material is already fleshed out, and our trained company of dancers familiar with the work, this NY engagement offers a cost-effective and efficient opportunity to continue shaping our concept, as well as build bi-coastal awareness in anticipation for the West End premiere.
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This endeavor offers YOU the unique opportunity to be involved in the beginning stages of the work, with a first right of refusal for its continuation to the West End. In the future, we anticipate this highly modular and accessible show will be produced in numerous places across the globe, including Hawaii, Mexico, Tokyo, and India. As part of the initial package, investors will continue to profit from the production's longevity.
For our West End endeavor, we plan to develop a unique version of the show that will maintain the immersive element, while also expanding the production for a larger audience. For this vision we are imagining the project could open in a venue such as Boulevard SOHO (the perfect period performance space) to draw in a crown and raise awareness, and later transfer to a larger space such as 'Here at Outernet' (pictured below) for a longer term run. 'Outernet' is an exciting and dynamic modular space that would allow us this flexibility for a West End run. Other venues appropriate for the work would be Regents Park and Sadler's Wells, both of whom have shown interest in supporting.
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Clayton Howe (Roxedge Entertainment) and Mitchell Reeve (M. Green Entertainment) are onboard as our US/London General Management team. We will collaborate with West End designers and talent, as well as engage a dramaturg/ writer to help expand the show to 1 hour and 45 minutes and offer a more cohesive structure that weaves the show's elements together in an engaging and impactful way.
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Given the affordability of the West End and the openness of its audiences, undertaking a London-based run before returning to New York City promises both an artistic and economical pay-off. After cultivating international appeal, we will then use this model as the foundation for a Broadway production, as well as iterations in Honolulu and Tokyo.​
THE ACT
The evening consist of boundary-pushing work that will stun the NYC nightclub and burlesque scene. The performance includes a live Jazz band of multi-versed musicians, thrilling and unique dance works, and passionate vocals. As patrons enter the space, they will be transported to a time when nightclubs and speakeasies were all the rage and pulsating Jazz music blocked out the rest of the world. Patrons will be captivated by a dreamlike sense of timelessness, and by the time our performance begins, they will already be engrossed in our world.
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Through the reinvigorated lens of its social context, The Act pays homage to Jack Cole's innovative commercial work that spanned mediums, as well as the possibilities for the future of his legacy.
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PROLOGUE
The NEW Jack Cole Dancers​
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The space sizzles with energy as the company enters and the band plays jazz standards that bring us back to 1920’s. The company welcomes the patrons and share exciting bursts of movement together, riffing off the Band. A thrilling social dance gathering is born, the dancers bringing the space to life the more they dance together. The group forms a cypher, and various company members lead the group in expressing different cultural influences of this work. We see a rhythmic African soloist, a Bharatanatyam soloist, and a joyous Swing dancer light up the center of the dance floor. Our VOCALIST for the evening joins in the celebration.
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The spirit of COLE is among the company, observing and lightly participating. Our star, EVY, begins as a patron and throughout the prologue is gradually enticed and brought into the world. She and COLE share a playful and electric duet, before the company comes together and finishes with a big finish and a flourishing exit.
​SCENE 1. OJAI
The NEW Jack Cole Dancers​
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​The company performs a provocative group number to a groovy Big Band piece that layers in elements of the worlds Jack Cole explored, including African, Afro-Cuban, Indian, and Swing dance styles. We see these elements coalescing and living in harmony in the iconic Cole style.​
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EVY is seen exploring the group and the space, her curiosity peeked by this new world she’s stepped into.
SCENE 2. STRAIGHTEN UP
Vocalist + The Band​
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Our VOCALIST, a classic crooner with star power, welcomes the crowd and sings an uplifting tune with The Band, charming us all with their smooth vocals and intoxicating spirit.
​SCENE 4. DAWN
Soloist + Percussionist​
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Cole’s essence simmering in the vibration of the space, like a phantom or quiet memory.
The space is still. COLE crawls into the space as our percussionist plays a heavy swung rhythm on the djembe. COLE performs a cool, quiet solo that builds to an electric ferver, feeding off the drum. A fiery warm spotlight encases the drummer and dancer, the sun igniting the dawn. The start of a new era.
​SCENE 5. CINEMATIC
The NEW Jack Cole Dancers​
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An homage to Cole's Hollywood film and burlesque work.
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1. BLUES
Ala Cole’s ‘Beale Street Blues’ from The I Don’t Care Girl.
The ladies arrive one by one, flirting with the horn player’s sultry melody. There is heat between them all, an air of challenge and mystery, and they come together in a sensual demonstration of female prowess.
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2. HEATWAVE
Ala Cole’s ‘Heatwave’ performed by Marilyn Monroe in There’s No Business Like Show Business.
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A light bossanova kicks in and the ladies dance an easy Afro-Cuban groove, floating and snaking through the space as a unit.
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3. DIAMONDS
Ala Marilyn in ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’ from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
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EVY interrupts the group, stirring things up and flaunting for the ladies. COLE flies into space to join the group. The dancers flock around EVY, intoxicated by her, finishing with a bombastic theatrical finish.
​SCENE 7. STRUT OF THE PEACOCKS
Trio + Percussion​​
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3 female dancers strut across the stage, on the prowl for the felines they will later dance with in Sing Sing Sing. They exude peacock energy, bird-like but carnal.
​SCENE 6. VOCALIST SET 2
Vocalist + The Band​
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Our Vocalist performs another upbeat tune with The Band.
​SCENE 8. THE RIFF
Trio​
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COLE and two other feline dancers (our Feline energies) share a rowdy, high flying, athletic trio, filled with quick feet, jumps, splits, slides, cartwheels, and partnering. An homage to The Riff Brothers, Gene Kelly & Fred Astaire, and The Berry Brothers.
The three slink through the space, break out into explosive dance breaks, and show off for one another in a playful challenge of strength and grace.
​SCENE 9. MS. EVELYN VAUGHAN
Female Burlesque Soloist​
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A female tore de force 11 o'clock number paying homage to Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, and other stars of the era. Filled with nods to old-school torch songs, burlesque, vaudeville, Can-Can, and comedic crowd work.
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EVY begins her act with a strip tease. Before she reveals herself, she stops and decides she would rather do something more personal. She has the BAND strike up ‘In A Sentimental Mood,’ serenading the crowd with her voice, all the while “absentmindedly” continuing her strip. This builds to a thrilling burlesque dance break, cheeky and vaudevillian, which buttons with EVY on the floor.
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EVY decides to go one steps further and she takes the microphone out into the audience and begins chatting with patrons. Her charm and humor romances us all. Before leaving, she breaks out into her wild Can-Can finish. Thanking the crowd, she leaves us with just her silhouette as she perches atop the piano.
​SCENE 10. AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
The Band
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The Band plays a set as more food and drink is served to our patrons.
​SCENE 11. SOMEONE
Duet + Vocalist
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Ala Cole’s romantic duet for Marge and Gower Champion to 'Someone to Watch Over Me' from Three for the Show.
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After hours at the club. It is late and moody, the romantic limbo that exists only in the dead of night in New York City. A woman finds herself in the club, having wandered in from the street. She is torn between leaving and returning to her life, and moving forward. A stranger, COLE, coaxes her to stay, offering her support and the promise of new possibilities. They gradually connect and the dance builds to a passionate climax.
​SCENE 12. THE CLUB ACT
The NEW Jack Cole Dancers​
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The company dances to the iconic Benny Goodman song 'Sing Sing Sing,' a celebration of this legacy and Jack Cole’s nightclub acts. Our Felines energetically heat up the space before our Peacocks, along with EVY, creep in and titillate the felines. The group comes together in a frenetic jitterbug that builds to a rapturous finish with a blackout.
​SCENE 13. VOCALIST SET 3
Vocalist​
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Our VOCALIST thanks everyone for joining and performs an earnest, hopeful rendition of 'Happy Days Are Here Again’ that finishes tender and quiet as the lights fade to black. We feel this could be the end.
​SCENE 14. THE JAM
The NEW Jack Cole Dancers​
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New possibilities. A groovy ensemble piece featuring the company engaging in a rhythmic, celebratory, humorous jam. ​
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1. THE JAUNT
A light piano melody brings the space back to life. The lighting is moody and hushed. The company, appearing as a group of seemingly strangers, are out for a jaunt. They connect and with the music, build to a joyous finish.​
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2. THE HULLA
The group breaks out into a celebratory hullabaloo, flying and strutting through the space, relishing in one another and the new possibilities ahead. An ecstatic finish. Blackout, leaving us with a fresh feeling of joy and freedom.
PROJECTED TIMELINE
SEPTEMBER 2025
London Training Program
A 3 week training program in London co-presented with House of Jazz. We will use this program to expose more West End dancers to the work, holding an audition for the London production in conjunction with the end of this program if we are in a place to do so.
JAN-FEB 2026
CUNY Residency NYC
2 weeks of funded rehearsals in New York City at the Laguardia Performing Arts Center through the CUNY Arts Residency. 1 week rehearsal prior, with a showing in The Little Theater at the end.
SPRING 2026
Premiere of the CLUB ACT at The Cutting Room in New York City. 1 week of rehearsal/ tech, followed by a short engagement at the venue.
The Cutting Room Premiere
SUMMER/ FALL 2026
NYC/ London run
Premiere at a larger NY venue: The Joyce, Little Island. Followed by a premiere at a London venue: Boulevard Soho, The Clapham Grand, Sadler's Wells.
JAN-MARCH 2027
West End Premiere
Followed by a West End run at Here at Outernet. An initial 2 week run with a potential extension.
FALL 2026
West Coast Tour
A potential tour down the West Coast, beginning in San Francisco and stopping at various theater and bar venues, Universities, and studios along the way. Offering masterclasses in conjunction with live performance.
FUTURE 2027
NYC Premiere & Beyond
Premiere of an expanded version of the show to premiere in New York on/ Off Broadway. Plans to package the show and take it to other places, including Hawaii, Mexico, Tokyo, and India.