Electric performances, thought-provoking choreography, buzzy bodies of work—the artists on our annual list of dancers, choreographers, directors, and companies poised for a breakout share an uncanny knack for arresting attention. They’ve been turning heads while turning what’s expected—in a performance, from a career trajectory—on its head. We’re betting we’ll be seeing a lot more of them this year, and for many years to come.

His brilliant dancing and magnetic presence wowed Broadway in “Ain’t Too Proud”; landed him the lead (which he eventually relinquished) of “MJ: The Musical”; and will be on display in the title role of Tony Goldwyn and Savion Glover’s reimagined “Pal Joey” at New York City Center this month. But ask Ephraim Sykes for his story and he starts with, “My mother and father fell in love…” 

Last night’s Tony Awards, (aka James Corden’s three-hour attempt to persuade TV-streaming-binge-watchers to put down the remote and see some live theater, for gosh sake) had a bit of everything: wisdom from celebrated actors, cheeky laughs, political quips, historical victories and, our favorite, incredible performances. Unsurprisingly, Tony frontrunner Hadestown took home eight awards, including Best […]

The Tony Award nominations were announced yesterday morning, and, as always, they gave us a lot to talk about. Could Hadestown sweep the awards? Why didn’t John Heginbotham’s work on Oklahoma! garner him a Best Choreography nomination? What musical numbers will the nominated shows bring to the ceremony on June 9? To discuss, we gathered […]

Love them or not, reviews are part of the ecology of being a dancemaker. Critical writing can validate, illuminate or sometimes get in the way of an artist’s creative process. We spoke with five choreographers about their relationship to reviews. Sergio Trujillo Sergio Trujillo understands that Broadway reviews function differently than concert dance reviews: Although […]

The biggest weekend in Broadway is finally upon us: The Tony Awards are this Sunday (airing at 8 pm EST on CBS). While other media outlets might be busy forecasting winners, we’re speculating about the dancing we might get to see during the broadcast. Needless to say, we have a few ideas. First off, let’s […]

Choreographer Sergio Trujillo asked the women auditioning for ensemble roles in his newest musical to arrive in guys’ clothing—”men’s suits, or blazers and ties,” he says. He wasn’t being kinky or whimsical. The entire ensemble of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is female, playing men and women interchangeably as they unfold the history of the […]

She had a varied, flourishing career that included dancing for Lar Lubovitch, touring with the Bad Boys of Dance, and performing at Radio City Musical Hall and in Broadway shows. But Kamille Upshaw really wanted to make Mean Girls happen. Not because she’d known Reginas or Plastics in high school—at Baltimore School for the Arts, […]