Rachel Factor Explained

Rachel Factor
Birth Name:Christine Frances Masave Horii
Birth Place:Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Education:Punahou School
Years Active:1990–present
Spouse:Tovia (Todd) Factor (married 2000-2021)
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Genre:Jewish music, pop, Broadway, musical theatre
Associated Acts:Jody Watley, Belinda Carlisle, The Rockettes

Rachel Factor (born Christine Frances Masave Horii; 1968; Honolulu, Hawaii[1]) is an American Orthodox Jewish singer, dancer, actress, and performing-arts instructor.[2] [3] Before converting to Judaism, she performed with The Rockettes and appeared in several Broadway musicals. Since becoming Jewish, she has performed for all-female audiences in several one-woman shows and has been involved in a number of projects promoting artistic expression among Orthodox women.

Biography

Early life and career

Born Christine Frances Masave Horii,[1] Factor is a fourth-generation Japanese-American. She attended the Punahou School, where she discovered an affinity for dance. She began performing in the community theater, and at age 18 moved to Los Angeles to pursue a dance career in music videos, film, and television. She worked as a back-up dancer for Jody Watley and Belinda Carlisle[4] and appeared in over 40 television commercials. She then moved to New York, where she performed as a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall, in off-Broadway productions, and in Broadway shows including and Miss Saigon.

Conversion to Judaism

Factor was raised in a Protestant family. At age 29,[5] she fell in love with Todd Factor, a Jewish television commercial producer, who told her that he had to marry someone Jewish. At first she was hesitant about converting, but decided to look into Judaism and was interested in what she learned. She studied for and underwent a Conservative conversion before her marriage and afterwards lived as a secular Jew, continuing to perform in the theater. However, until after the birth of her first child in 2002, and the child's circumcision by an Orthodox mohel, she and her husband began moving toward an Orthodox lifestyle.After Factor and her 8-month-old son underwent Orthodox conversions, she changed her name to Rachel and she and her husband moved to Jerusalem where he could study in a baal teshuva yeshiva.

Current career

After her Orthodox conversion, Factor chose to no longer perform in front of male audiences. She created for female-only audiences her first one-woman show, J.A.P. - a play on the term "Jewish American Princess", recounting her journey to Orthodoxy. J.A.P. had a 50-city, 4-month tour in the U.S. and Canada.[6] Her second show, Not Even Normal, depicted her journey from Broadway performer to kollel wife.[7] [8] Her third show, Becoming Rich, explores the themes of faith and trust in God while living on a kollel salary.[9]

In 2005 she opened the Jerusalem Women's Center for Theatre Arts (HaMachol Shel Bnos Miriam), a dance-and-wellness center in downtown Jerusalem. In 2010, she opened Midreshes Shmuel, a post-high school women's Torah learning and performing arts program for two years, under the direction of Rabbi Binyomin Moskovits, Rosh Yeshiva of Midrash Shmuel Yeshiva. Her husband, who now goes by his Hebrew name, Tovia, was a member of the Midrash Shmuel kollel, but now learns at Kollel Ruach chaim. In summer 2010, she also directed a 5-week Dance and Touring Summer Program introducing Orthodox Jewish teenage girls to the performing arts along with tours of Israel.[10]

Discography

Credits

One-woman shows
Start yearProductionNotes
2001J.A.P.Chronicles Factor's journey to Judaism
2005Not Even NormalChronicles her journey to observance
2008Becoming RichChronicles journey to "emunah and bitachon"
2010DoorsCompilation of prior three shows through song and dance
2015K'ShoshanaPremiered at Gerard Behar Center
Theatre
Start yearProductionRoleNotes
1990Slattern of the Hovel; Dancer; Sazuko (replacement)As Tina Horii
1991Miss SaigonSwing (replacement)As Tina Horii
Film and TV
YearTitleRoleNotes
1996ABC Afterschool SpecialDancerEpisode: "Through Thick & Thin" (as Tina Horii)
1997FaceGenieShort film (as Tina Horii)
2000If You Only KnewBar Girl #3As Tina Horaii
2001Long Lost LoveJenniferAs Tina Horii

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Yellin Fuksbrumer. Deena. Former Rockette Rachel Factor now performs women-only shows. December 30, 2010. New Jersey Jewish Standard. November 19, 2010.
  2. Web site: Midreshes Shmuel . November 14, 2010 . Rachel-factor.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715142212/http://www.rachel-factor.com/bio.html . July 15, 2011 . dead . dmy-all .
  3. Web site: Schwimmer . Helen Zegerman . 2010-03-03 . Crossing The Narrow Bridge With Rachel Factor . 2023-05-30 . en-US.
  4. Web site: Featured Artist: Rachel Factor  - A singer of her faith beyond race . Asian American Artistry . March 2005 . February 10, 2011.
  5. Web site: Rachel Factor: The Journey of a Broadway Dancer . Kroll . Chana . 2010 . February 10, 2011 . chabad.org.
  6. Web site: About J.A.P. . February 10, 2011 . rachel-factor.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715142003/http://www.rachel-factor.com/jap_about.html . July 15, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
  7. Web site: Not Even Normal . February 10, 2011 . rachel-factor.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715142008/http://www.rachel-factor.com/nen_about.html . July 15, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
  8. Web site: Rachel Factor's 'Not Even Normal' . Zegerman Schwimmer . Helen . The Jewish Press . December 20, 2006 . February 10, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101228143905/http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/20188/ . December 28, 2010 . dead . dmy-all .
  9. Web site: Becoming Rich . February 10, 2011 . rachel-factor.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715142014/http://www.rachel-factor.com/br_about.html . July 15, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
  10. Web site: Rachel Factor's Dance & Touring Summer Program, July 21st  - August 18, 2010 . February 10, 2011 . Bnos Camp . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725085534/http://www.bnoscamp.org/intro2.htm . July 25, 2011 . dead . dmy-all .