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| I was leaning against the back wall of the house, watching a performance of the new
musical IN THE HEIGHTS. My stomach had knots in it, and my nerves were more than a little flustered. Hundreds of people come to watch the show every night, and this night, there were some very important business people in attendance to see my work. One of the hardest parts of being a choreographer is in knowing that every night, I don’t really have control of my work. I can’t get up there to perform the show. I can’t get be on the stage to ensure that my vision reaches out and grabs the audience. But as I listened to the trumpet cut through the air and the drums inject an infectious pulse into the theatre, my nerves and my insecurities disappeared as I watched one dancer take center stage. With his head of curly dark hair and his unbelievable finesse and charisma, I knew that Luis Salgado would take my vision and magnify it with his unmatched abilities. Luis’ extraordinary talents of performance and dance are clear to the audience every night, but the audience is hardly ever aware of what goes into building a show. With IN THE HEIGHTS, on which Luis both performed and assisted, we spent countless hours in preproduction, drawing a blueprint for what would become a wonderful show. Luis sat with me, staring at the plans. He struggled with me to figure out each tiny detail. And once we knew where we wanted to go with the dancing, Luis sweated hour after hour helping to build this show. As an assistant, his mind is primed to understand all of the emotional and intellectual needs of the piece. His heart and ears translate music like an expert musician. Luis possesses a great vocabulary of choreography, and he has the experience to rifle through it to find the physical world that would benefit us most. And he does it all with great patience and dedication. Luis impresses me most with his unquenchable thirst for understanding and possibility. He already knows enough about our art to be more than successful, but he approaches every day, every rehearsal and every performance with an open mind and open ears. As a performer, he is exceptional in his passion and ability. As an assistant, he is an unending well of inventiveness and reliability. As a choreographer, his impressive accomplishments to date, pale in comparison to the kind of work he is bound to create. But as a man (and friend), Luis is different than most artists; his heart is rare. I am very fortunate to know Luis Salgado. With Luis, I never see him approach work as if it is merely a job. He approaches work as an opportunity to explore and glorify life. Luis is truly a creative artist, because whether it is through his work on stage, behind the table, or beside the choreographer, he attacks every moment of life. And he makes each of those moments golden. |
| Andy Blankenbuehler
Bio: Andy is currently represented on Broadway with the revival of The Apple Tree and Off-Broadway with In The Heights. He has choreographed many musicals including the world premiere productions of Waiting For The Moon (music by Frank Wildhorn), A Little Princess (music by Andrew Lippa), A Wonderful Life, as well Nights On Broadway at Caesars Palace. He has performed on Broadway in Fosse, Contact, Man Of La Mancha, Saturday Night Fever, Steel Pier, Big, and Guys And Dolls. Andy teaches at New York’s Broadway Dance Center, Steps, and across the country for New York Dance Alliance. |