BWW Interviews: Sasha Hollinger's Dream Takes Her From GMU to the Kennedy Center's JOSEPH

If there's one word that describes Sasha Hollinger's journey as a performer it's passion. Her passion for dance started when she was three years old and it has taken her from George Mason University, where she received a BFA in Dance, to the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which opens at the Kennedy Center this week.

DC BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Hollinger where she talked about how George Mason University prepared her for a career in the performing arts, the advice she would give to current students hoping to follow in her footsteps, what audiences can expect from the Joseph tour and why the show continues to resonant with audiences.

Benjamin Tomchik (BT): I read that you've been dancing since you were three. What sparked your passion for dance at such a young age?

Sasha Hollinger (SH): You know it's interesting because I never really started dancing with a focus on taking lessons. I just started imitating what I saw on television - most of the time I was imitating the Fly Girls from In Living Color. My mom came downstairs one day, saw me, and signed me up for dance lessons because that would be more appropriate than the Fly Girls (laughing). I took ballet and loved it. She put me into more and more classes, and then as I got older I became more serious and interested in more modern-based dance.

BT: Who were the choreographers and what were the styles that inspired you?

SH: Honestly, I didn't really start learning about choreographers until I got to high school and college. Then I really started discovering different artists. My favorite was Elisa Monte. We did a piece of hers my senior year at Mason and I really enjoyed it. David Parsons was another choreographer I really loved. I actually auditioned for his company after graduating and almost made it. When I wasn't hired, I started auditioning for more musical theater and Broadway.

BT: Dancing for a company is obviously different then dancing for a Broadway show. What led you to that transition?

SH: It's so strange because from 13 to 17 I studied ballet almost exclusively and all I wanted to do was join a ballet company. While I'm a great dancer, I just didn't have the body type or the facility to be successful in the professional ballet world, so that's when I started doing modern dance. Upon graduating from George Mason University (GMU) with the encouragement from my professors and my peers, I began to look at Broadway as another possibility in my dance career. In the Heights was the show everyone seemed to think I'd be great for and after my first audition for it; I fell in love with the show and knew I had to be in it one day.

In the Heights was my first Broadway audition and I attended every audition and casting call for it for the next two years. After it closed on Broadway I eventually was cast for the second national tour. It was and remains my favorite show. I was so blessed, because my first major musical theater tour turned out to be my dream show.

BT: In 2009, you graduated magna cum laude from George Mason University with a BFA in Dance. Can you tell us about your experience and how Mason helped prepare you for a career in the performing arts?

SH: GMU prepared me for my career after graduation because the professors there are really connected to the students and were committed to my journey as a dancer. They are really open and honest about their experiences and careers and didn't hide anything. They had connections to people who they brought in to speak to us and would use those connections to help you. If you were going to New York or LA for an audition or looking at specific companies, if they knew somebody, they'd make a connection. They are very good about providing important knowledge, whether it was through other people they know, other dancers, alumni - giving us the tools necessary to help us succeed.

Also, it was amazing the amount of artists' work you were able to perform while there, especially with our Spring Gala which was almost exclusively guest artist choreography. Being exposed to a number of diverse choreographers only benefits you as performer.

BT: Aside from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, you've also performed in the national tours of In the Heights and The Man in the Mirror and in the world premiere production of the musical Fly at Dallas Theater Center. What has the transition been like from student to professional performer? Is there any advice you'd give to current students hoping to make a career in dance?

SH: I graduated from Mason and wanted to do the concert dance world. So I moved to New York with another girl from the program and I didn't work for six months. I had a job as a front desk manager at a gym to pay the bills, but I didn't work a dance job until I booked Man in the Mirror. That was my first professional gig. I could finally quit working at the gym and do what I came to New York to do.

When I came to New York and saw what was opening up, it seemed that the concert dance scene wasn't as readily available to new people. Companies are smaller and there are fewer turnovers than on Broadway. I just went where the opportunity took me. About a year and a half after moving to New York I also signed with an agency and they were able to get me jobs that broadened my experience not only in the musical theater world but in the commercial side of the industry as well.

If I had to give advice, I would say this: keep your passion. There is a lot of rejection and there are times it won't be easy, times when you may be working a job you hate just to pay your bills. This industry is so cyclical. You could be booking six jobs in a row and then not book a job for another six months. Just always be in tune with why you're doing it, why you have passion and keep training. Always keep learning and that passion will push you when times are hard. It takes a lot of motivation, but keep pushing yourself.

BT: Speaking of dreams, let's talk about Joseph. What can you tell us about this tour?

SH: This is a great production! Our director, Andy Blankenbuehler, has done a great job with the show. There's no children's choir, but that's okay because we've changed some things up. Using projections and some stellar choreography, he's found a way to revitalize Joseph's story. The vision brings a lot of it to life. And it's more fun for audiences because there are some things they don't expect and haven't seen before.

The company is incredibly energetic and positive. We're really close and Ace Young (Joseph) and Diana DeGarmo (Narrator) are two of the most genuine people I've ever worked with. We've performed 206 shows and it can be challenging to keep the energy level up sometimes, but we build each other up and the show is always fun.

BT: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice originally wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a children's school choir. Why do you think the show has remained popular with audiences, especially young audiences?

SH: I feel like behind it all, and Andy with his direction of this production speaks to this, the underlying theme is having a dream and never letting that dream go, letting it pull you through the tough times.

One of the best experiences we've had with this tour was in Worcester, Massachusetts. There was a high school up there where 80 percent of the students either lived under the poverty line or English was their second language. For two weeks before we came in, they incorporated Joseph into their entire curriculum and our dance captains were able to go to the school, meet the students, and teach them some choreography from the show. They then got to dance in the finale of the show with us.

Chatting with them after the show, we got to hear all about their dreams and encouraged them to follow through. "Any Dream Will Do" is such an encouraging and uplifting number and message in the show. That appeals to children. It is so easy to lose sight of your dreams as you grow older and learn the responsibilities that come along with being an adult, but Joseph is about staying connected to that mindset you had as a child, when you believed you could do anything, and keeping those dreams alive!

Photo: Sasha Hollinger. Courtesy of the Kennedy Center.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat plays thru January 4, 2015 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets, call (202) 416-8000 or purchase them online.