Interview: Robert Hartwell Chats About His New Program, BROADWAY DANCE COLLECTIVE

By: Feb. 03, 2016
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Broadway star Robert Hartwell is doing something truly spectacular while on the Motown National Tour- he's teaching a new generation of Broadway performers with BROADWAY DANCE COLLECTIVE.

Robert Hartwell is using his time on the road to teach an all encompassing master class to aspiring Broadway performers. The Broadway Dance Collective is something he's been working on for a long time and now it's finally here and ready to teach students across the nation.

Check out BWW full interview with Robert as we discuss Broadway Dance Collective and getting this incredible movement off the ground!

How did the idea for BROADWAY DANCE COLLECTIVE come about? Was it something you always wanted to do?

The idea actually started with my dance teacher, probably about seven years ago. I had just graduated from University of Michigan, had my degree in Musical Theatre, and I was getting ready to start my career out on the road with the Dreamgirls national tour. My dance teacher, who is a former Broadway performer, said to me that I should be teaching master classes while out on the road. I thought that this was a brilliant idea, but before I knew it, there was already other teaching organizations out there that had already asked me to teach for them.

So, pretty much seven years went past and I've been teaching for the top five musical theatre training programs for students out there. Then, every time I was in the classes, I just had this urge that I wanted kids to experience more. I had this idea that what if we are taking a musical theatre class why can't I, with all the fabulous friends that I have that do Broadway shows that tour with me? Why can't we do an entire immersive experience in musical theatre?

So, I am on a national tour right now, I've got friends all over the country that are also on national tours, why can't we be going into these classrooms and give these kids a taste of what is going to be expected of them one day in the professional world? So, that's what we've been doing and it's so much fun. It's great because dance is in our name and we do these at dance studios, so we have had a lot of dancers who are afraid to sing or dancers who are afraid to try tap, you know? Last week, we happened to be at a musical theatre conservatory. So, we have all these singing actors, but they are all deathly afraid to dance. So, it's so great to shake them up in a positive way. We are going to be doing it all because one day they are gonna have to do it all.

How did you reach out to the dancers that help you out? You have quite the list of Broadway veterans that help you teach!

Well, we are all friends. That's the one beautiful thing about the Broadway community, everyone wants to help each other. I think a lot of people think that Broadway is so cut throat, but I think Broadway is only cut throat if you think it is or if that's the mind set. I have so many friends, who I feel very blessed about admiring their work and what they bring to the table artistically and professionally. I put together a list of friends who have been in a diverse number of shows. So, we have some women, some men, but it was very important to me to have a strong presence of men on the faculty, just because many dance studios in the country are predominantly made up of women. I thought with the whole 'Boys Dance Too" movement happening, that this was important for us to have.

So, how do you choose where you guys stop? Does it coincide with your national tour?

Right now, myself and two of the other teachers are on the Motown national tour. So, it's set up right now that wherever the Motown tour stops, we also do the classes there on Saturday mornings. The plan is in the next 2-3 months, we'll be launching other national tours to go in an implement my system and our teaching philosophy. We will train two or three cast members of each national tour. So it will become nationally branched across the tours that are out there right now.

We've been getting emails from people all over asking when we will be there for classes, but we've already come through some of those locations. If they are hungry for the info, we have to get it out to them in some way. So that's what we are doing. We are in the infant planning stages of how to branch it out. The huge thing for me is education and there are so many fabulous performers out there, but I can only hire someone with the heart of a teacher and who wants to be patient and who really wants to teach and perform. It's really finding time in my schedule so I can get out to them and take them through the syllabus and philosophy. I want to make sure we are presenting more than just a master class. I never just want to be the random dancer that comes as teaches. I want to become family, I want to help you.

Designed as a fresh approach to the market model of Broadway master classes, The Broadway Dance Collective will offer musical theatre jazz, broadway tap, and vocal performance technique for aspiring Broadway dancers in an action-packed four-hour master class in select locations all over the U.S. The master class will be taught by working Broadway professionals. For more information about the BROADWAY DANCE COLLECTIVE, click here.

Master Class Dates: Miami, FL (February 7th), West Palm Beach (February 14th), Nashville, TN (February 21st), Columbus, OH (February 28th), Madison, WI (March 6th), Baltimore, MD (March 13th), East Lansing, MI (March 20th), Hartford, CT (March 27th), Toledo, OH (April 3rd), Appleton, WI (April 10th), Louisville, KY (April 17th), Jacksonville, FL (April 24th), Austin, TX (May 1st), San Antonio (May 8th), Sacramento, CA (May 29th), Seattle, WA (June 4th), Portland, OR (June 19th), San Jose, CA (June 26th), and Salt Lake City, UT (July 3rd).

Additional Teachers Include: Ryan Steele (Matilda, Newsies, Billy Elliot), Cameron Adams (She Loves Me, Gigi, Nice Work, How To Succeed, Promise, Promises), Charlie Williams (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, How To Succeed, Memphis), Grasan Kingsberry(The Color Purple, Motown, Leap of Faith, Catch Me If You Can, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Andy Jones(Cinderella, Bullets Over Broadway), Preston Dugger (Motown, Memphis), Cody Williams (Memphis, On The Town, Cinderella), Monette McKay (Mama Mia, Memphis, Spiderman), and Samantha Sturm (Matilda, Addams Family, Nice Work, and On The Town).

Robert Hartwell is a veteran Broadway performer. He is known for his work in the Broadway and/or the national tours of Cinderella, Dreamgirls, Motown, Memphis, Nice Work If You Can Get It and much more. He's the founder of Broadway Dance Collective.



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