Student Blog: It's Tappening: An Interview with Jennifer Turey

My 8:25am Friday morning tap class is always worth it do to incredible and widely accomplished dance educator Jennifer Turey, who I got the opportunity to sit down with and discuss all things regarding performance and dance education.  

Q 1: Can you tell me a little bit about your dance and theatre experience? Where did you go to school? 

So, I grew up in Connecticut. I went around Connecticut, and I took dance at a regular dance studio. Then I participated in musical theatre shows in middle school and high school. Then I thought that I wanted to be a math major, so I went to Southern Connecticut State University to pursue mathematics. I also did the musical theatre shows there and fell in love with it, and that’s when I decided that this is what I really need to do. So, I transferred to Hunter College in New York City and pursed a degree in theater arts with an acting concentration. I probably could have double majored because I was in the dance department all the time too, but I took dance classes at Broadway Dance Center, Steps, and, what used to be called Dance Space, but it’s New Amsterdam now. Then I studied voice independently.  

Q 2: You performed with the Broadway National and International tours of 42nd Street, Crazy for You, and The Will Rogers Follies. Can you tell me about those experiences? Which show was your favorite to perform with and why?  

It’s hard to pick your favorite show, but the experiences were amazing and my very best friends came from those experiences, and we’re still friends to this day. Traveling in Europe was life changing. I did 42nd Street and Crazy for You in Europe. That was awesome to see the world and get paid for what you love to do. It was also kind of bougie over there because it was like Broadway but in Europe. So, we were treated really well. We had fans coming to the stage door. We had the Broadway sets and costumes, and obviously we did the Broadway choreography. We were in great hotels, and we stayed in places. There was one time my contract was in Berlin for nine months straight. So, we sat for long periods of time, which is great. My other tours, however, in the United States, for example, The Will Rogers Follies, was what we call a bus and truck tour. It was a one nighter. For six months. You got on the bus every morning, traveled to a new city, and miraculously, I don’t know how the crew did this, but they would put up this huge set of stairs, since that was the set, and then we would do a show. I was the dance captain on that show, so I had to be prepared because if we had a certain size stage, we had to do Version B. But it was really, again, a great experience. I got to see the United States. I think I’ve been to every state. We didn’t go to Hawaii or Alaska on that tour, but we went to every other state. Again, great friends, still to this dance. It was just a great experience to build your stamina and tolerance for that kind of situation. It’s traveling and performing all in the same day. You learn how to sleep on a bus quickly.  

Q 3: You also performed in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular as a Rockette. Can you tell me about that experience? Do you have any favorite memories from that? 

That, again, was an amazing experience. A lot of my friends from my Broadway tour life were also in the line. So that was fun! It was sort of like a little reunion. And it was intense. It’s physically a really demanding show. It took me three years to get in. I made it to the end of auditions for three years in a row, and then I finally was cast. And again, you’re treated like gold because you’re a Rockette. I was in the Chicago company, so again we had great hotels and fun publicity. It was really fun to do things on TV, in the parade, and for Make-A-Wish. It was really fulfilling in that way. But it was rough. It was hard work.  

Q 4: Now as an educator, would you say your professional experiences have influenced the way you teach? Additionally, what made you want to become a teacher in the first place?  

I began teaching between contracts to pay the bills between shows. It was really fulfilling because I was creative and at the same time doing what I love to do instead of waiting tables. The pay was consistent too because when you’re waiting tables, you never know if you’re going to make fifty dollars that night or two hundred dollars that night. But when you’re a teacher, you know what you’re going to make. So, I fell in love with that. Somebody was selling their dance studio, and they offered it to me for peanuts. I was getting to the age where I had to start questioning, “how much longer can I be a chorus girl?” so I said, “you know what, let me take it.” And I did perform at the same time for a little while, but then I decided I needed to just do this. I also got a job teaching in higher education since that was in the mornings and afternoons, and then I would run my studio at night. I really love higher education, and people told me that I should get a higher degree if I want to pursue higher education further. So, I pursued my MFA in interdisciplinary arts at Goddard College in Vermont, and I got that degree in 2020, virtually. Now to pursue even more of a higher education position, I’m getting my doctorate at The Teacher’s College Columbia University, and hopefully I’ll get that in two more years. I really just love the higher education experience. I feel like I can assist with the audition process. Some of my friends are now directors or talent agents, they kind of transferred into that, so I still have connections in the city. With that, I can help guide you guys into what they’re looking for, how to self-tape, and what the audition process is like. I have really enjoyed this transition between high school into professional land. It’s a really special place, and I think I really connect with students the most in this age range. 

Q 5: Do you have any advice for students who want to pursue a career in the arts? 

It’s going to take some tough skin. It’s hard not to take it personally. I’ve known that I didn’t get jobs because my shoe size wasn’t a certain size. Especially with the Rockettes. I’m of a certain height. So, if you’re somebody who is 5’7” and left the line, they’re going to look for another person who is 5’7” to replace her with. Not somebody who is 5’9”. Thinking about that, knowing that it’s not necessarily about your talent all the time, it’s about fitting the costume or the shoes, it’s difficult. But it’s also about just being a really good person. After a while, I started getting phone calls. “Hey, can you do this job for us in Texas?” or “Hey, we’re going back on tour. Can you join the tour with us?” Just because they knew that I had a strong work ethic. I enjoyed what I was doing, and I fulfilled the job. So, your reputation starts to spread out within the business. That’s sometimes more important than being the most talented person in the room. I think that can be portrayed in the audition room too. If you’re just having a good time. Not being so hard on yourself if you don’t get it perfectly right. I always tell people, as long as you’re teachable, you don’t have to get everything right away. As long as you have a solid technical base, you’re teachable, you’re personable, and you’re having a decent time within the audition process.  

Q 6: Is there anything else you would like to add that we have not talked about?  

Just keep pursuing the arts. They’re so important. You don’t necessarily have to be on Broadway in order to be successful in my opinion. Any contribution to this field of ours is a great accomplishment. Whether you’re an educator. Whether you’re a Costume Designer. Whether you’re a Broadway star. Whether you’re a chorus girl third from the right. It’s all really important to keep this going.  

Thank you so much, Jennifer Turey for taking the time to talk with me!