Meet the 33 Artists Making Their Broadway Debuts in the “West Side Story” Revival

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 fewer than 33 artists are making their Broadway debuts in the show. The diverse group includes 20 college graduates, two siblings, and one winner of “Dancing with the Stars Panamá.”

Get to know all of these extraordinarily talented Sharks and Jets as they prepare to take the Great White Way by storm.

Marissa Brown (Francisca)

Brown
studied at the University of California Irvine and California Institute of the Arts, and has worked with Donald McKayle, Benjamin Levy, Sharp & Fine, The Park Avenue Armory, and Phantom Limb Company. She also creates her own dance and film work under the name Lone King Projects.

Elijah A. Carter (Action)

Carter
, who has a BFA from Montclair State University, has toured internationally with Philadanco. He’s also performed with Limón Dance Company and Roxey Ballet, and worked with choreographers Camille A. Brown and Anthony Burrell.

Adolfo Mena Cejas (Mouthpiece)

Cejas
studied art history and worked as an assistant director in Havana at Compañía de Teatro El Público, directed by the auteur Carlos Díaz. He’s a filmmaker of award-winning short films, and has been based in New York since 2016, where he works as a director, videographer, and editor.

Daniel Ching (Snowboy)

Ching
is a Juilliard alum who’s toured with Hamilton and appeared on the TV show “Younger.” Also a choreographer, he’s shown work at DUMBO Dance Festival in NYC and Dance Camera West Festival in California, and is a recipient of the Héctor Zaraspe Choreography Award.

Audrey Collette (Swing)

Collette
, a CalArts graduate, has performed in works by Colin Connor, James Franco, Dimitri Chamblas, and Merce Cunningham. She’s also directed dance films and virtual reality content.

Marc Crousillat (Juano)

Marc Crousillat
is a first-generation Cuban-Peruvian who’s performed with Trisha Brown Dance Company, participated in the Merce Cunningham Centennial, and danced in original works by John Jasperse, Tere O’Connor, and Netta Yerushalmy. He won a Princess Grace Award in 2016.

Stephanie Crousillat (Teresita)

Stephanie Crousillat
has a BFA in photography from Montclair State University. She’s performed in Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and with the Johannes Wieland Company at Staatstheater Kassel in Germany; in the film version of In the Heights; in music videos for Sir Paul McCartney, Alicia Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Mumford & Sons; and in commercials for Dior and CoverGirl. (And yes, she and Marc are siblings!)

Roman Cruz (Luis; Dance Captain)

Cruz
has a BFA from Juilliard, and also trained at The Ailey School, The Joffrey Ballet School, and American Ballet Theatre. He was the recipient of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Scholarship for the Performing Arts.

Alexa De Barr (Graziella)

De Barr
is new to Broadway, but not to professional musicals: She performed in the City Center Encores! production of I Married an Angel, on the national tour of An American in Paris, and on the international tour of West Side Story, among other shows. She also appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Israel Del Rosario (Anxious; understudy Chino)

Del Rosario
, a Florida native, is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. He has trained extensively in dance, including hip hop, ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, African, Latin, and freestyle.

Jordan Dobson (understudy Tony, Glad Hand, Krupke)

Dobson
is a graduate of Temple University, and has appeared in regional productions of The Color Purple, Cabaret, and My Fair Lady. He’s also an instrumental musician and writer.

Tyler Eisenreich (Big Deal; understudy Tony)

Eisenreich
‘s credits include Guys and Dolls at The Muny, the national tour of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and performing on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. He’s the co-author of the children’s book The Little Vegan Kraken.

Armando Eleazar (Swing)

Eleazar
, born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, has a BFA from AMDA College of the Performing Arts. He played Bernardo in the Moonlight Amphitheatre production of West Side Story, and has appeared on TV in “American Horror Story: Cult,” and in Christian Louboutin’s Deep Sleep for Beauty graphic novel.

Marlon Feliz (Estella)

Feliz
is an alum of New World School of the Arts and NYU’s dance BFA program. She appeared Warren Carlyle’s ¡Havana! and the national tour of Saturday Night Fever, and has toured frequently with Pilobolus.

Satori Folkes-Stone (Marguerita)

Folkes-Stone
was a part of the first-ever graduating class of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. She’s danced in works by Aszure Barton, Bill T. Jones, Margie Gillis, Dwight Rhoden, Barak Marshall, d. Sabela grimes, and William Forsythe.

Zuri Noelle Ford (Anybodys)

Ford
earned her BFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and upon graduating made her on-screen debut as an ensemble dancer in the feature film In the Heights.

Ui-Seng François (Minnie; understudy Anybodys)

François
graduated from the theatre program at the Baltimore School for the Arts. She’s currently pursuing her BFA in dance at the Peabody Conservatory. She’s also a lifelong Taekwondo practitioner.

Yesy Garcia (Swing; understudy Anita)

Garcia
has a BFA from Pace University. She’s danced in the national tours of Love Never Dies and On Your Feet!, and in the film version of In the Heights.

Jennifer Gruener (Pauline; understudy Anybodys)

Gruener
has a degree from Indiana University. She’s performed in New York productions of Trip of Love and I Married an Angel, and on TV in “Saturday Night Live,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Elementary,” and the “iHeartRadio Music Video Awards” with Camilla Cabello.

Matthew Johnson (Baby John)

Johnson
recently completed his freshman year at Juilliard. His performance credits include the Broadway Beacon Awards and Super Bowl XLVIII’s Super Bowl Boulevard.

Dharon E. Jones (Riff)

Jones
(who took over as Riff during previews, after the originally cast Ben Cook suffered an injury) began dancing at the National Dance Institute and went on to graduate from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. Recent regional credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies, and 1776. He also appeared on TV’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”

Jarred Manista (Swing)

Manista
recently graduated high school, and since then has appeared as Baby John in West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Fender in Hairspray at Skylight Music Theatre.

Michaela Marfori (Nibbles)

Marfori
earned four national titles as a competitive dancer with In Motion Dance Project. She’s performed for various Disney events, including the televised Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade with Mariah Carey.

Ilda Mason (Swing)

Mason
, born and raised in Panamá, will also appear in the Steven Spielberg film version of West Side Story. She performed in the national tours of On Your Feet! and Cinderella, and the international tour of Legally Blonde. Fun fact: She was the Season 2 winner of “Dancing With the Stars Panamá.”

Michelle Mercedes (Clarice)

Mercedes
, a graduate of Florida State University, has worked with Urban Bush Women and Dance Lab New York. Spe appeared in New York productions of I Married an Angel and Samson et Dalila, and regional productions of The Wiz, Mary Poppins, Crazy for You, and Footloose.

Paul Morland (Swing; understudy Chino; Fight Captain)

Morland
, born in Medellín, Colombia, has a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and was one of Dance Magazine‘s 2019 25 to Watch. He toured with Fiddler on the Roof and has performed with Gallim Dance, Madboots Dance, Stefanie Batten-Bland, and Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener.

Mia Pinero (Swing; understudy Maria)

Pinero
has a BFA from Montclair State University. She’s starred in regional productions of My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, and In the Heights, and appeared in New York stagings of The Flood: in Concert and Going South.

Gus Reed (Gee-Tar)

Reed
is a filmmaker and performer with a degree from Columbia University. His recent projects include videos with The George Balanchine Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation, Liz Gerring Dance Company, Kayla Farrish, Maggie Segale, and Jodi Melnick.

Michael Seltzer (Swing)

Seltzer has a BFA in musical theater from The Boston Conservatory. He’s appeared in regional productions of Paint Your Wagon, Jersey Boys, Lost in Yonkers, and Guys and Dolls.

Sheldon True (Toro)

True
studied jazz, contemporary, ballet, and hip hop at the Shelly True Dance Academy in Denver. He’s the founder of Trucre8r, a program that empowers young performing artists.

Madison Vomastek (Velma)

Vomastek
has a degree from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. She’s guested with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Richard Siegal’s Ballet of Difference, and was the lead in the Backstreet Boys music video “Chances.”

Bridget Whitman (Swing; Dance Captain)

Whitman
has a BFA from the University of the Arts. She appeared on Season 11 of “So You Think You Can Dance” and performed in Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, The Greatest Showman, and commercials for Gucci, Geico, and Wish.

Kevin Zambrano (Moose)

Zambrano
is a recent graduate of CalArts who has performed for Solange, Charli XCX, Dorian Electra, and RubberLegz. His choreography has been shown in Korea, Amsterdam, and at REDCAT in L.A.