Education
She attended the Punahou School, where she discovered an affinity for dance.
She attended the Punahou School, where she discovered an affinity for dance.
Born Christine Frances Masave Horii, Factor is a fourth-generation Japanese-American. 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 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 Shogun: The Musical and Mission Saigon.
At age 29, she fell in love with Todd Factor, a Jewish television commercial producer, who told her that he had to marry someone Jewish. After her Orthodox conversion, Factor chose not to perform in front of male audiences.
J.A.P. had a 50-city, 4-month tour in the United States. and Canada. Her second show, Not Even Normal, depicted her journey from Broadway performer to kollel wife.
Her third show, Becoming Rich, explores the themes of faith and trust in God while living on a kollel salary.
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. 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.
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.