The Cast Photo by Christopher Duggan

Co-directed by choreographer Randy Skinner and by Nikki Feirt Atkins, who conceived the show and serves as founder and producing artistic director of American Dance Machine for the 21st Century, the production serves the company's purpose of maintaining the style of the canon of theatrical dance pieces, but also strives to keep them "fresh, relevant, and vibrant."

"Fresh, relevant, and vibrant" tell us up front that we should not expect exact reproductions of the originals. So you should think of Gotta Dance! as a variation on the approach that was used in the Broadway productions Dancin' in 1978 and Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989.

In the case of those Broadway dance compilation shows, the productions were focused on the careers of two of the great figures of theatrical choreography: Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins. Both have pieces on view in Gotta Dance!, but the emphasis here is on a smorgasbord of numbers from well-known and a few lesser known shows.

Some of them you will happily recognize, like the first act closing number, "Cool" from West Side Story. That's Robbins' work, in case it has slipped your mind, with Drew Minard leading the company here. This is one of the better pieces on view. It holds up nicely as restaged by Robert La Fosse, himself a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, and it is a highlight. The muscular dancing, coupled with Leonard Bernstein's dynamic music, even as performed by the show's talented but small, seven-member band, makes this a stand-out.

Then again, you might get a kick out of seeing "City Lights," a number from the Kander and Ebb show The Act. Back in 1977, Liza Minnelli belted that one out, but the show itself only lasted for a couple hundred performances. So did you see it? If not, you'll get at least a taste here, with Jessica Lee Goldyn doing a fine job leading the company in this one.

Fun numbers like Irving Berlin's "I Love a Piano," which made its way into the 2008 Broadway production of White Christmas, a terrific rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown" from Bubbling Brown Sugar, and a delightful "Tongue Twisters" (better known as "Moses Supposes") from Singin' in the Rain go all out for the entertainment factor. And, really, how can a theatre dance compilation show end without paying tribute to A Chorus Line?

No one is suggesting that Gotta Dance! is anything more than what it is, an enjoyable evening of dance numbers culled from mostly familiar Broadway shows and a few movie musicals. It's not bursting with production values, though Brian C. Staton's projection design effectively serves the purpose of giving us a sense of the settings for the different numbers that segue from one to the next.

All told, I'd say, it's a great place to bring a young guest who is just getting their feet wet as a dancer or as a musical theatregoer. They'll be exposed to dance styles ranging from classical ballet, to swing, to jazz, and everything in between. After the show, you can regale them with stories of the time you saw the original Broadway stars performing these numbers. Gotta dance, yes, but also gotta keep the tradition going.