artform
25A BLACK MARKET
The Art of Annette Shattering the Cinderella Stereotype
W
By David Koteles
hen asked why she writes, author Annette Alicanti explains with sincerity, “When I write, I can be anyone I want.” She adds, “I have an inexplicable, uncontrollable urge to write.” She then breaks into a hearty laugh, perhaps realizing how passionate she sounds. And producers are taking note of her passion and her talent. Having penned several film scripts, Annette has now written a big new dance musical aimed at Broadway. Her musical, “The Art of the Hustle,” is based on her first screenplay. While it may be a work of fiction, it’s clearly drawn from her hard-earned experience as a competitive ballroom dancer and dance instructor, not to mention her time in the clubs doing the popular dance the Hustle. “The Art of the Hustle” is a musical featuring the hottest dance music of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s that follows Anna, a housewife from Long Island, who escapes her failing marriage on the dance floor and gets swept away with the both glamour and dangers of nightlife. Much like her passion for storytelling, Annette has always been profoundly drawn to music and dance. When she suggests that it may be genetic, you can’t help but wonder. Annette never met her biological mother, but feels a strong connection to her nonetheless. Initially put into foster care and then adopted by an ItalianAmerican family in Queens, Annette’s childhood was far from picture-perfect.
106 | 25A Black Market Issue
Annette dreamed of getting out and finding her birth mother. Despite being constantly told that her real mother was a junkie who gave her away, Annette yearned to meet her. As a child, she happened to find her birth certificate and saw the name of her biological mother: Iolene Catalano. Her first clue in what would become a life-long fascination with her mysterious past. Her years of wonder soon became years of searching. An investigation conducted by a close friend delivered a crushing blow to Annette: Iolene Catalano had died. Annette would never meet her birth mother. As she was finally catching up with her past, her present life was falling apart. Her husband did not understand or support her desire to find her roots, and along with the couple’s financial troubles and constant fighting, their once-happy marriage dissolved. It was during this painful time of self-reflection, and the terrifying prospect of being a single mother to three young daughters, that Annette discovered her writer’s voice. Annette wrote her first screenplay, “The Art of the Hustle,” shortly after her divorce. Despite the shock of her birth mother’s death, Annette wanted to find out more. After years of dead ends, an internet search produced a hit. She learned that Iolene was indeed a drug addict and had died in her forties, contracting HIV 10 years earlier, just before she had quit heroin for good. What she never could have imagined was that Iolene had been