Andy Blankenbuehler
Choreographer/Director/Tony Award Winner - Bring it On and Annie
Called "the brightest new Choreographer this side of the Hudson" by theatre critc Scott Siegel, Andy's most recent work can be seen Off Broadway in the new musical "In the Heights". This winter Andy choreographed Roundabout Theatre Company's revival "The Apple Tree" starring Kristin Chenoweth and has recently begun work on a new West End production of "Desperately Seeking Susan" in London. As a performer, Mr. Blankenbuehler has appeared on Broadway in Fosse (singing Mr. Bojangles on the cast recording), Contact, Man of La Mancha, Saturday Night Fever, Steel Pier, Big, Guys and Dolls, as well as the pre-Broadway productions of Parade and On The Town.
| Q: | At what age and why did you start dancing? | | A: | I started dancing at age 3. My parents were pretty big into the arts. Both of my older sisters were in dance class, so they just brought me too. (It sounds pretty much like Mike in A Chorus Line). I also took a lot of music classes, art classes and sports. Over the years, I dropped most of the activities, and then by mid-way through high school, I was only dancing. |
| Q: | What do you consider to be your biggest success as a performer/choreographer or your most rewarding theatre experience? | | A: | As a performer, I feel that my biggest success was the opportunity to perform on Broadway in Fosse. There was one performance in particular, our first preview out of town in Toronto, which I felt was the most exciting and proud moment I had ever had on stage.
As a choreographer, I believe my aspirations are far larger than any of my accomplishments to date. But if I were to pick a rewarding moment, I would have to say that choreographing the song "Let Your Heart Be Your Compass", in the musical A Little Princess, was thrilling. From the time I started choreographing the number for my presentation (audition) for the show, my creative instincts were on edge. And I will always remember the composer, Andrew Lippa, coming up to me after our first run-through of Act 1, and telling me that creating theatre like we had done with "Compass" was a dream come true for him. |
| Q: | Who is the person who has been the most influential in your career? | | A: | Though I never even met him, I think that perhaps Jerome Robbins has influenced me more than anyone else. I absolutely love and admire his groundbreaking work for the stage. The choreography is thrilling, complex and intelligent. But even more than the steps and the concepts, the subject matter of his work so often deals with very intense emotions. I saw the musical Jerome Robbins Broadway the very day I moved to NYC, and I was completely inspired by the passion, desire, and joy that lives in the shows that he has created. As a dancer and as a man, I find West Side Story to be the sounding board for which all theatre dance is compared....
In terms of performers, I am a sucker for Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. |
| Q: | You can be heard on the "Fosse" cast recording singing Mr. Bojangles - Have you always been a singer or was that something you started working on further into your dance career? | | A: | Though I didn't start studying until I was about 18, I always sang. I had a pretty good voice, but I didn't really know that I had the gift of truly communicating with my voice. Having a good voice got me many great dance opportunities. It wasn't until I got to sing "Bojangles" in Fosse, that I felt I could touch others with my voice. Singing that song every night was a gift that I'll never forget or take for granted. In our career, we have to make hard choices...one of which is having to concentrate our energies on specific elements of our career. To sing (and acting walks with singing hand in hand) at the level of accomplishment as someone like Hunter Foster or Norbert Leo Butz, a great amount of dedication is required. I don't know that you can sing like that and be a premiere dancer as well. I choose dance, and so the memories of singing "Bojangles" will always be golden. |
| Q: | As a teacher and a working choreographer, what catches your eye about a dancer? | | A: | First and foremost, I am instantly grabbed when I see passion in a dancer. Even if they don't nail the steps, I think this quality is immediately recognizable. It's as if they have a desperate need to get something out. These dancers have a confidence that is magnetic, and a voice (through their body) that is both bold and intelligent. These dancers I keep watching. If I then see that they have great technique to use as their tools of communication, they have won me over. If I see that they have passion without the technique to back it up, I know that they are on the right path. I know that they can become the kind of dancer that I love. Let me say again, that intelligence is part of passion. I love it when a dancer's body and eyes radiate not only with a desire to dance, but also with a sense of understanding and experience. |
| Q: | What do you feel gives a dancer an edge at an audition? | | A: | Unfortunately, it is not so easy to say what gives a dancer an edge at an audition. Auditions are about proving yourself and showing what you bring to the table. So in an ideal world, you need to bring a LOT of things to the table. Like I said before, I notice right away if a dancer has passion. Besides first impressions, I will note how their work gets more exciting as they know the material better or if they plateau. I also notice right away if a dancer is proficient at picking up the details. Rehearsals never seem to be long enough, so I need to see a dancer's aptitude for rhythms and steps. In every audition that I give, I have to make a decision about what level of technique is necessary for the show. If there is a dream ballet with lots of lifts, I know that I have to cast for those needs. So, as always, technique definitely comes into play.
In the end, our dancing (and my choreography) has to be about story telling. So what makes or breaks an audition is what the dancers do with their time in front of me. They are going to be partly responsible for pushing the story forward. Can I trust that they will be able to do that? Do they surprise me and show me things that I hadn't anticipated in the choreography? If I find that I am watching someone dance their audition, and I am glued to them, following their performance as if they are speaking clear words, they have the job. |
| Q: | Your classes really emphasize the importance of musicality and acting while you dance. Why do you think these things are so important? | | A: | Like I said above, our ability to use our dancing as story telling is vital. In a lot of musical theatre, dance is used as fluff. I have always wanted to dance in shows where the dancing was an integral part of the development of the story and emotion. That gave me satisfaction. As a choreographer, I want my work to be as vital (and specific) as the score or as the lyrics. Dance that is used in this way has become rare on Broadway.
We need to be aware that there are so many ways to capture an emotional moment in our dance. Sometimes, the mere shapes and movement patterns of the body capture an emotion. Sometimes, the movement is simple and what we do with the projection of our stage presence gives clarity to what our bodies are doing. Often times, the music itself is a clear blueprint to the moment. By executing our movement in strict unison with the music, we become partners with the composer in telling the same story. Musicality is dancing with the energy and rhythm of the music, but I believe it is also dancing with the same motivation as the composer.
All these tools are important to develop only if we aspire to make dance a continuing creative element in musical theatre. At a World's Series game, a batter wouldn't come up to the plate swinging a branch he or she just broke off of a tree. We have to come up to the plate with all of the tools at our disposal. |
| Q: | Once a dancer has been hired for a job, what do you think it is important for them to know about the rehearsal process? (Etiquette, preperations, etc.) | | A: | I think it is a gift that we are able to do what we love. Likewise, I work very hard at creating the work that becomes the show. So I need the dancers to bring their whole hearts and minds to the rehearsal room. I need to see in them the desire to dig in. I need to see that they are going to put themselves behind the task at hand.
Even if the detailed execution of the steps comes later, I need to see the dancers learning the steps emotionally. I don't want to have to say to someone, figure out how this will work for you... I will provide the material, but I need the performers to navigate their characters. Duke Ellington called it an "experimental disposition." I want to see the performers finding the show for themselves. If someone brings an intelligent mind and vibrant personality to the rehearsal room, they will work for me again.
I ask no one to work harder than I work, but I need the dancers to show up swinging. This includes dancing full out. This also includes having an open mind. I love to have a good time, but I don't like it when I feel that performers aren't serious about what they are doing.
And a big issue I have: we should rehearse in dance shoes. This generation of dancers has gotten into a lot of bad habits. Dancing in gym shoes (with the exception of West Side Story) is a bad habit. Rehearse yourself for the gig at hand.
But as important as everything else (probably more important), people enjoy working with GOOD PEOPLE. People skills count. Check your bad attitudes at the door. A sense of humor will really help the process. |
| Q: | What one piece of advice would you offer to performers just starting out in the business? | | A: | Study, study, study.... then pursue every opportunity to cut your teeth. In every situation you're in--whether it is class, an audition, in rehearsal, or on stage--always pay attention to the people around you. What makes you watch some people? What makes you not like watching other people? Learn quickly from those around you.
Also, in terms of show business, someone once said: "the business comes before the show". This really is a business, and you need to approach it with that in mind.
I learned a lot from the great choreographer Chris Chadman. He used to say that there were 3 big characteristics to being a performer: talent, perseverance and luck. You can succeed with 2 out of 3. You will succeed if you have all 3. |
| Q: | Where do you see yourself in 5 years? | | A: | I have designed just about every inch of a nice house in the woods. In it is a dance studio with heated floors, windows on the roof (like a greenhouse), and French glass double doors to the rest of the house. Through one of the doors comes one of my children, telling me that dinner is ready, and mom (Elly) wants me to stop dancing. I'll be choreographing a show that I have written. It's a show that the dancers just can't wait to get their hands on. That's a good 5-year plan. (Oh, my body doesn't hurt so badly.) |
Want more of Andy? Go take his theatre class at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. You can also catch him on the convetion circuit with New York City Dance Alliance.
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