In our upcoming product of Newsies, there are 28 people in the cast. This story is predominantly told by males, so it makes sense that of those 28 individuals, a whopping 19 of them are men. And do they know how to dance! You’ll be mesmerized by both the high energy and the high jumps that require a certain level of acrobatic skills and athleticism that is truly captivating. 

We sat down and talked with Alex Z. (Davey), Nick B. (Crutchie), and Brendan D. (Specs) about their dance experience, what the choreography and the show as a whole physically demands, and what they love about the show.

If you’re intrigued and love a story told through song and dance, you won’t want to miss Disney’s Newsies, taking the stage from January 31st to February 9th. 

QUESTION 1: Dance isn’t just grapevines and spinning – it’s physically demanding, and every minute of this show is choreographed. Tell us about these past several weeks of rehearsal and what it takes to strengthen and maintain the stamina needed.

Alex: “Honestly, stretching is the most important thing for me. Since we’re moving a lot, I need my muscles to stay loose… stretching at least twice a day is where it’s at for me.”

Nick: “Dancing requires you to be very aware of your body at all times. You have to know your limits and what you can and cannot do… during and after learning dances. It takes a lot of mental preparation and thought about what the moves are. Taking time to be in tune with my body is really important.”

Brendan: “Dancing is both a mental and physical challenge. Like Alex said, stretching is important, and to echo Nick, so is thinking things through. You also have to be really consistent. You need to hit your marks and perform the same dances in the same way for many, many shows. We have to find a way to get into character and perform each dance beginning to end – and it isn’t always as easy as it sounds.”

 

QUESTION 2: Tell us about your dance experience…

Alex: “A lot of the dance training I have comes specifically from musicals. After I got into that and really enjoyed it, I started taking ballet. I’ve been at Stroia Ballet Company here in St. Cloud for a little over a year.”

Nick: “I started getting into dance when I was about 15 years old. I don’t have a focused training; a lot of it is from musicals and I have really an all-around training in different types of dance. I was a company dancer as well as a principal dancer for the MN Dance Ensemble.

Brendan: “I have 11 years of dance training from the studio in Monticello. I have experience in all kinds of dance – ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, tap, ballroom dancing… I love it all.”

QUESTION 3: What’s your favorite number to perform in Newsies?

Alex: “Seize the Day, because I love all the jumps. And King of New York, because it was a challenge for me.”

Nick: “The World Will Know. That song and dance movement is really powerful and I connect to the emotion behind it and love bringing that empowering feeling to life.”

Brendan: “Carry the Banner… it’s a good challenge and is honestly just really fun to perform.”

 

You can be part of the Newsboy Strike of 1899 at our upcoming performances at the Paramount Center for the Arts – Get your tickets now! 

#GREATstories #GREATtalent #GREATpeople #GREATexperiences