From Ballet to Broadway and Back: SWAN LAKE's Andrei Chagas Talks Musical Theater

Andrei Chagas is a rare hybrid. 

After starting his professional career in the ballet world at age 15, the Brazilian-born dancer got a lucky break on Broadway, landing an ensemble part in the 2018 revival of Carousel and then a part as a dancer in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story. 

Now back in the ballet world, Chagas is performing as a supporting dancer with the Miami City Ballet for his final season in Swan Lake, playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts June 20-22 and then at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion June 26-29. 

BroadwayWorld sat down with Chagas to talk about how his foray into musical theater changed him—and what audiences can expect of the latest production of Swan Lake, a dazzling show that the New York Times called the one “by which we should judge all others.”

Tell me, in a few sentences, how you got here.

I'm originally from Brazil. I started dancing when I was about 11 years old. When I was 15, I got a scholarship with the Miami City Ballet school.

Wow—15? That’s so young!

Yes, and I didn't speak any English at the time. I knew how to say, “Good morning,” or “How are you,” but nothing besides that. 

That's amazing.

Yeah, I don't know how my mom was okay with it, but at the same time, I'm so grateful that she had the courage and that she trusted me to make this huge leap in my life so soon, so early.

So you started with the Miami City Ballet, but then you transitioned to Broadway. Tell me about that. 

So I auditioned to do the 2018 revival of Carousel. The choreographer, Justin, had contacted me because I had already worked with him with the Miami City Ballet. He contacted me saying, “Andre, I'm doing this Broadway show. Would you be interested in auditioning? It was a dance ensemble part. They were also looking for someone with good partnering skills to perform the ballet section. 

What made you decide to take that leap? 

Around 2016, I had started to feel unhappy with my career. I had been thinking, “Should I apply to college? What else can I do with my talents?” College was too expensive, so I decided to start taking singing lessons. When the invitation to audition for Carousel came along, I was just so grateful that I had made that decision months earlier. Somehow, life was really calling me to it without me knowing. And I'm glad my response was to be open.

So you had to sing in the show as well as dance? 

I had to sing in the ensemble. I had to sing songs like, “Blow High, Blow Low” and “June is Bustin’ Out All Over.” The second half of the show is when the ballet happens.  

What did you do when that show closed seven months later? 

I was without a job. I did a Broadway workshop for West Side Story on Broadway—the revival in 2020, but that didn’t work well for me. Then in 2019, I auditioned for the movie, and I got it!

What was that experience like?  

I’m Latino, so I was cast as part of The Sharks. It was such a great experience. Steven Spielberg was so generous in including us, giving us character names, and making sure we were in the credits. 

Now that you’ve done both, how do you think the attitudes in the dance world differ from those in the theater world?

I think ballet systems are very restricting, and oftentimes the dancers don't feel like they have a voice, or that their voice is sometimes not so welcomed. When I entered the Broadway world, I realized a lot of it is a collaboration. As soon as you get the job, you’re part of that ensemble.

How did Broadway change you?  

I have to confes—after I had these amazing experiences outside ballet—coming back to ballet was really difficult for me. . . . The ballet system was very difficult for me because I felt that I had to always say, “Yes, yes, yes,” when I had much more to offer.

What does the ballet world have that the Broadway world doesn’t? 

I would say tradition. Ballet, because it is an art of its own, holds on to its tradition at all costs. 

Will you be pursuing more musical theater opportunities now? 

It's actually amazing that we are having this conversation, because this year I decided not to come back [to the Miami City Ballet] for the following season. I'm open to various opportunities, including those related to Broadway again. 

OK, let’s talk about Swan  Lake. It's such a well-known ballet that it almost feels like a Broadway production. Right?

Yes. Usually, when people hear that shows like Don Quixote are coming back—or Swan Lake is coming back—we get more audiences. Those are classics. It's like watching your favorite classic movie that everyone knows.  

What makes this show so popular?  

I've performed this specific version of Swan Lake three times now in a span of four years. And it's amazing how every time we perform it, anywhere we bring it, it's always so well received and celebrated. And I love that very much—it gives me hope that ballet will continue to be appreciated moving forward. 

This score, if you hear it playing anywhere, you will know right away that it's Swan Lake. And, you don't need to be a ballet dancer to know it. Isn't that incredible?

What’s something special that people should look for in the show? 

There's a Pas de trois (three-person dance) in the first act that happens so quickly, and they play it so gracefully because in ballet, you always hide the difficulties. It happens so fast that if you close your eyes, you'll miss it. But for us dancers, it's so hard and so challenging.

What will musical theater/Broadway fans love about the show? 

I think they will love to see art of ballet being performed in its purest form on stage. It's like when you go to a museum and you're mesmerized by history—like, you enter a different realm, and each room takes you deeper and deeper into a different reality and time, further and further away from the day-to-day world we live in. It makes you think, "That's how things were, that's how they used to tell stories.” 

There is a powerful message in the story of Swan Lake, a message that doesn't get old. It's as applicable today as it was two centuries ago when it was first choreographed and performed. 

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