At Helena Padial’s middle school production of Bye Bye Birdie, Chita Rivera—yes, that Chita Rivera—came to watch. When she met the musical theater legend backstage, Padial burst into tears of disbelief, and Rivera gave her a hug. Fast-forward to 2026 and Padial, at 21, has been named Broadway’s Next Triple Threat, a new award created […]
When it comes to her dance career, Ida Saki lets intuition lead the way. “I try to follow whatever I’m interested in at the present moment,” she says. “Every job opportunity has opened up another door for me and shifted my career in ways I never could have imagined.” Originally from Dallas, Saki, a graduate […]
In 2017, after a seven-hour callback over the course of two days for her dream company, San Francisco–based Robert Moses’ Kin, Elena Martins got the answer she was dreading: “No.” It was her second audition with RMK in two years, and her second rejection. “When I didn’t get it that time I was pretty devastated,” […]
The professionally-shot film of Hamilton is smashing streaming records on Disney+, transforming any computer or TV in America into the Richard Rodgers Theatre. And while we understand that not every Broadway show has gorgeously-filmed footage on file, we can still dream: Could this be a new way to experience live theater, at least while Broadway […]
With Broadway dark and the Tonys postponed for the foreseeable future, musical theater lovers could definitely use a bit of good news right now: Smash, A New Musical, based on the cult-favorite television series, is headed to Broadway. “Smash,” which aired for two seasons on NBC, followed the cast, crew and producers of the fictional […]
Everybody’s talking about the latest West Side Story revival, set to open on Broadway February 20th. Directed by Ivo van Hove and featuring brand-new choreography by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, it promises to be radically different from the familiar Jerome Robbins production. In addition to fresh choreography, it’ll also feature many, many fresh faces: No […]
Though Broadway has a rich history of turning classic movies into musicals, it’s much less common to see a hit TV show adapted for the stage. But when you do, it can be true musical theater magic, like Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical or The Addams Family. So, here’s the tea from Dance Spirit: the […]
Ever wondered how a professional performer’s resumé differs from that of, well, a normal working person? Maybe you’re curious about what “AEA” or “SAG-AFTRA” stand for, and why you as a dancer should worry about these acronyms. Or perhaps you’re just dying to know how it really feels to understudy a leading role on Broadway. […]
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