John Selya Interview

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 5:21pm

From the Bergen Record:

"To say John Selya is surprised to find himself on Broadway is an understatement.

"It wasn't even on the radar," he said. "That was for hoofers and singers. I did a completely different type of dancing. I had no idea what would happen."

What Selya trained for -- and was very successful at -- was ballet, becoming a member of American Ballet Theater.

He made his Broadway debut in "Movin' Out" in 2002, and it was as auspicious as any performer could dream of. He stood out, in a company of superb dancers, with a passionate, athletic style that won him accolades and awards.

And now he's coming back in another show, "The Times They Are A-Changin.' "

"This is a more traditional type of Broadway show," said Selya, noting that the dancers "peacefully co-exist" on the stage with the singers.

In "Movin' Out," the dancers had the stage to themselves, while a singer perched above them on a platform.

Selya's path to musical theater started in 2000, when he joined Twyla Tharp's dance troupe.

One of the most distinctive and innovative American choreographers, Tharp has had an interest in Broadway for a long time. She directed and choreographed the stage version of "Singin' in the Rain" 20 years ago.

Several years back, she got the idea of setting her dances to Billy Joel's music. Naturally, she turned to her company for performers. And that's how Selya got cast in what became "Movin' Out," playing -- with great expressiveness but no words -- a working-class Long Island youth who goes from high school to Vietnam and then back home.

"The Times They Are A-Changin' " is Tharp's collaboration with Bob Dylan's song catalog, and Selya said it's a very different show.

"The story is told through the music," he said. "The dancing is not primary; it has more of a backup role. And it's a completely different kind of dancing than 'Movin' Out,' which was more ballet. Here, it can't look like dancing; it must be absorbed into the story."

Still, the show is very far from a typical Broadway musical.

It's set in a surreal rundown circus -- lots of acrobatic dancing -- where conflict arises between the autocratic man who runs the circus and his son, with a resulting shift of power.

"The story is meant to be a fable," Selya said.

And anyone who finds political and social meaning in a show whose score includes the title number, "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War" and "Maggie's Farm" is barking up the right tree."

[kikki327]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 5:40pm

Thanks for this interview! I love John Selya and I can't wait to see him in The Times.

[erica23]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 6:11pm

I can't wait to see john selya dance. Does anyone know what role he has in the show?

[kikki327]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 6:17pm

he is a featured ensemble dancer