There are many multilingual representations of dance in the entertainment industry. Looking for a dancer who can quickly pick up hip-hop and contemporary choreography and perform in pointe shoes? Most Los Angeles dance auditions involve not one but multiple auditions.
The television contest “So You Think You Can Dance” hinges on such stunning diversity. (The ending “In Many Styles” is alluded to.) When Gabby Diaz won season 12 of the show in 2015, she looked like a classic “So You Think” success story. . After she auditioned as a tap dancer, she proved to be very adaptable even by the show’s high standards, bringing a sophisticated and vibrant energy to a wide range of dance genres. Everything seemed natural, easy, consistent and fun in her very capable body.
Choreographer and director Justin Peck, who has worked with Diaz on several projects, said, “She’s the most articulate mover I’ve ever met.” “She’s like a swiss army knife with different kinds of dance styles.”
After winning “So You Think,” Diaz thought, like many of the show’s alumni, that she would join the ranks of the illustrious Los Angeles dancers. But she soon realized that her expectation of universal proficiency and the need to maintain it could create a kind of flatness, turning dancers into execution robots.
She felt it flattened her out. “I was able to memorize the choreography very quickly,” Diaz said. “But I didn’t know how dance already. I had no idea of my own. I always freeze when asked to choose. “
A few years after that epiphany, Diaz, 27, has forged an amazing freelance career, modeling for a new breed of ‘Swiss Army Knife’ dancers. Bridging the usually disparate worlds of her commercial and concert dances, she has explored various uses for her technical prowess and has sought jobs with more rehearsal time than her stage time. I was. Along the way, she not only speaks a variety of dance languages, but has also become a translator who can express multiple styles in conversation. She has found a way to make her diversity her defining trait, not one that disappears.
Today, when choreographers workshop new ideas, Diaz is often the person they want to be there. Notably, she is part of a small team that Peck regularly relies on to develop her work outside the home of New York City Ballet, where she is resident choreographer and artistic collaborator.This month, Diaz will perform at Peck’s performance Music Theater Premier “Illinois” Beyond Genres A collaboration with composer Sufjan Stevens and playwright Jackie Sibleys Drury at the Fisher Center at Bard College. According to Peck, she has helped create a hybridized dance language.
“What I’ve learned over time is that process is much more important to me than performance,” Diaz said. A lot of dances are very presentational, but I can do that. But I get even more excited when I’m working from the inside out. “
Diaz, who is Cuban-American, said she grew up in Miami with “a lot of salsa music at home.” She found her musical outlet in dance, studied various techniques at the Roxy Theater Group and the New World School of the Arts, performed in Miami City Ballet’s The Nutcracker, I participated in a jazz dance contest.
At the age of 19, Diaz became the first tap dancer to win “So You Think,” which she watched avidly in school. She returned to the show as an “all-star” partner for two seasons, and finding other dance work for her was not difficult. She performed with Jennifer Lopez and toured with Shaping Sound, a commercial-minded dance troupe that included several “So You.” Think about it.” Alumni. But then she started to burn out and disorient her, and while her value as her instrument was certain, her point of view as an artist was lost.
In 2017, she enrolled in contemporary company Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s new professional training program. It was both a sideways step into the concert dance scene and, in a sense, a backward step. She went back to being a student again, paying instead of being paid to dance.
Still, it felt like the right path. In contrast to the grueling pace of the entertainment world, the Hubbard Street program featured long rehearsal periods. “Work on something for eight weeks and do it four times,” Diaz said. “It was amazing.” She found particular freedom in choreographer Ohad Naharin’s technique for Gaga dancing without mirrors. In this technique, movement is born from ideas and sensations.
Diaz danced as an apprentice on Hubbard Street, but was unable to secure a permanent position with the company. Shortly after she heard “no,” she received an email from her childhood hero, former Miami City Ballet principal Patricia Delgado. Delgado was named associate choreographer for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story movie. Delgado’s offstage partner, Peck, was her lead choreographer. Would Diaz want to audition?
So Diaz changed course again and entered the world of feature films. She worked with many of the outstanding dancers in the “West Side” cast, most notably Patricia’s sister Janet Delgado, a former Miami City Ballet star and Diaz idol who danced with her in the Shark Ensemble. had a connection. And she felt her familiarity with Peck’s choreography. While his choreography has its roots in ballet, it often diverges in other directions.
When live performances were canceled due to the pandemic, Diaz worked on more movie sets and danced to the 2021 adaptation of “Tick, Tick … Boom!” and the 2022 holiday movie Spirited. She even practiced cinematic tropes. She cut her hair short. This is a symbol of her continuing artistic transformation.
“It may sound so silly, but once I cut it all out, oh, I felt like it was.” here,” she said.
When the theater reopened, Diaz eventually turned right again, this time for the musical theatre. Her choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler hired her to star in her own directorial debut, the Off-Broadway musical Only Gold.
Diaz had little singing or acting experience, but Blankenbühler ultimately formed the role of the rebellious Princess Tuba based on Diaz’s “incredibly spicy energy”. he said. “After meeting her, I didn’t want to play her role, I wanted to hire her.” she(Diaz will win in 2023 Chita Rivera Award for her performance. )
When “Only Gold” ended last fall, Diaz returned to her happiest place, the rehearsal studio, to help Peck flesh out “Illinois.” Peck is a 12-performer dance narrative that he describes as “like watching a silent movie live”. Set to Sufjan Steven’s 2005 album of the same name, the show brings together the many threads of Diaz’s career, using her tap experience and contemporary lyricism in storytelling.
“It’s the best I’ve ever been able to hobble between being a person on stage and being a dancer on stage,” she said. “That’s where I’m most interested right now.”
Both Peck and Blankenbuehler said they wanted to create a more artistic home for dancers like Diaz. (The “Illinois” cast includes another “So You Think” winner, Ricky Ubeda; “Only Gold” features several of the show’s alumni.)
“There are some incredibly talented commercial and theatrical performers in this generation, but their dances are often more a means than a form,” Peck said. “They have shows like ‘Illinois’ and ‘Only Gold’ that are a way for them to really do their job.”
Diaz’s extensive knowledge base and extensive web of relationships also make her a sort of “connective tissue,” as Peck calls it, in rehearsals and workshops.
Janet Delgado, a cast member of “Illinois” and now a friend of Diaz, said, “She’s a heart-throbbing mover, so we all have our eye on her anyway, but she’s still open and curious.” I am enthusiastic and eager to take on challenges,” he said. Help everyone understand everything. “
Diaz has begun to apply that quality to her behind-the-scenes roles, helping choreographers refine and unravel ideas. Recently she has assisted in the early development of a new musical theater project by Blankenbuehler.
“Having her as a partner in the studio is like a safety blanket,” said Blankenbuehler. “She can see your vision and she can bring herself closer to it. When I’m stuck in a hole somewhere, she knows she’ll save me.” .”
Throughout her career, Diaz has taken on work selectively, a privilege she admits not all freelance dancers have. Her ‘So You Think’ award-winning recognition means that dance studios are always happy to hire her to teach classes, making it a way to supplement her income between big jobs. But she’s also actively working to pursue artistic opportunities that feel right.
“I come from a hard-working family,” she said. “If I’m in a pinch and need money, I’ll take a service job. I know I can catch myself.”
Diaz will be busy with “Illinois” – which will follow its summer run. Opening in the yards of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater January 2024 in Chicago — for a while. Beyond that, she deliberately doesn’t plan too much, leaving room for opportunities she hasn’t even imagined yet.
“Being open to changing my mind is the most important thing in my career,” she said. “I crave the ability to pivot.”
