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[0:00] Karla Puno Garcia: Something I know for sure is I really love and I will never stop creating to just create like for myself, whether that's for class, whether that's of self-produced video. I do a lot of short films on my own, you know, that has really gotten me a lot of notice. But the important thing is that I wasn't creating them to get hired for things. It that ended up happening and it continues to happen, you know, um, in the in the work that I'm produced myself. But I I just have something to say and I get inspired and I want to express it. If I hear a great song and then I want to, you know, create a whole world and do a whole short film on it, then that that's happened several times. And then, you know, from there, I mean, I I still I want to tell you, because I think this is in line with this um something recently that's happened.

Uh Darko Trezendak, the director of Gentleman's Guide, the Tony Award winner, um, he actually reached out because he noticed a film that I had done years ago. Um, it was called The Spot, and it was in a warehouse. It was to the song Fever. And I did it so long ago, but it is something that he was really drawn to, and and he wanted me to, he wants me to work on a new musical with him. And so we're actually going to be working together in the spring on a new work.

[1:36] Joe Rosko: Hey, what's going on? Welcome to Built for the Stage Podcast. This is Joe Rosko, founder of Built for the Stage, Broadway's number one fitness platform. If you want to try a free trial, go to the website BuiltfortheStage.com, and you'll be on your way to seven days working one-on-one with your own Broadway fitness coach via an internet app. All right. Special thanks to our producing team, BPN. You can check them out at bpn.fm. Exciting guest for you as always. Got a chance to uh chat with her just a bit before we hit record. I'm super excited for it. Um, you might have seen her uh in Hot Feet, West Side Story Revival, Gigi Hamilton, and uh now she's just making huge waves uh as a choreographer in the biz. So please welcome to the pod, Karla Puno Garcia. Hi, Karla.

[2:25] Karla Puno Garcia: Hi, thank you for having me.

[2:28] Joe Rosko: My pleasure, my pleasure. All right, let's just jump in because you have so many exciting things, and uh our episodes uh tend to try to be short and sweet, so we keep the intention uh of all of our listeners out there who are used to just swiping away with their thumbs and only listening to things for four seconds. So everyone that everyone listening right now that that does uh listen weekly, uh, we really appreciate it. So uh here we are again. Let's jump into uh something that just recently happened. Uh there's a tick tick boom film coming out uh from Lynn Manuel, and you actually were brought on to choreograph some additional numbers in the piece. Um, so let's just start out the episode with a bang and just jump into to how that was and maybe how it came about and uh go from there.

[3:16] Karla Puno Garcia: Yeah, totally. Um, so they finished wrapping the movie and then recently in the summer, decided to add more scenes. Um, I guess I was on the list of choreographers, and I happened to be available, so I went and and did that. And it was really cool to work with Lynn in that capacity, um, and as a choreographer and him being a director, and you know, establish that dynamic. So yeah, I can't say too much about the content and who I worked with, but it's gonna be a really beautiful movie.

[3:49] Joe Rosko: Sure. Let's uh if you if you can from what we talked about just uh a second ago, how did it come about where your name was thrown into the hat? You know, how was that established where oh maybe Karla would be a good fit for this?

[4:02] Karla Puno Garcia: Totally. So, you know, I've been a swing in Hamilton on Broadway for four years, and in that time, I was always choreographing numbers, representing Hamilton for Broadway Care's Equity Fights AIDS, um, you know, doing little things here and there. And I was given a lot of flexibility to grow as a choreographer. I would take a couple leaves of absences to choreograph shows regionally or off Broadway. And you know, I think the community or my community specifically in Hamilton knew that and they were aware of that stage management, everyone, you know, and they're always very supportive. So I think at this point, you know, four years later, you know, I'm I'm continuing and doing doing doing bigger things that hopefully will lead me to choreographing the next, you know, big musical. Um, that they they trusted me and and I'm so grateful.

[4:50] Joe Rosko: Cool. So everyone listening sounds like Karla was starting out at at the bottom of the hill and just being willing to step forward and and show her uh her worth. And uh yeah, here she is uh climbing that mountain right now. So as you continue to climb, you have uh another show coming up that you're gonna choreograph called Other World, uh that's gonna be at Delaware Theater Company. Um can you tell us maybe as it's it hasn't been uh staged yet or or open? Can you tell us a little bit about your process as a choreographer and how you kind of like to approach your projects?

[5:26] Karla Puno Garcia: Totally. Um, this specific project is really, really exciting uh because it's we literally get to create our own world. This is the world premiere of this show. Um it centers around connection and love and a world of video gamers, and it's really cool and it's very inclusive. We have actors with disabilities, all shapes, sizes, all colors. Um, so I feel very lucky to be a part of it. As far as projects, you know, this one is super highly collaborative. We have Puppet Puppeteers, um, a puppet design company, um, the same that did Warhorse, and we have, you know, projects projections, a great writing team, and it's it's it's super high caliber. But I think what's important is to me, what's important in my process is spontaneity, you know, and I really embrace and value like creating things in um organic way and not really harping on a long process, but if the process is long, picking and choosing what you choose, uh what you decide to spend time on when it comes to creating, you know.

[6:37] Joe Rosko: Well, I was able to see Warhorse and what they did with those puppets were just phenomenal. So if it's anything close to that, I uh I hope I get to see this somewhere else uh after your production's done.

[6:50] Karla Puno Garcia: Totally. I I do want to say, you know, I just got off the phone with Matt, one of the guys who um is is part of Axman Walsh, the company who um did War Horse, and it's really exciting because they're they're taking on the role of puppet choreographer in collaboration with me as a choreographer. So I cannot wait to get in the room with them and really, you know, discover that dynamic too.

[7:11] Joe Rosko: Nice. Last uh I guess visit to one of your credits um was something we brought up and you're like oh yeah that did happen was from the sh the share show just uh a few few years ago where you co-choreographed one of the numbers uh save up all your tears um same questions as before just like how that process happened and then uh for everyone listening I promise you I'm gonna wrap up uh and kind of bring this home as to why I'm leading this conversation the way I am uh because I have a last question where I'll kind of bring it home so tell us a little bit about that experience and then uh yeah we'll we'll move on.

[7:50] Karla Puno Garcia: Totally um so I got a long email from Christopher Catelli one night basically um so kindly complimenting my work and I guess he's seen stuff online or you know power of social media or word of mouth I've never really even worked with him I as an as a dancer and he was saying how he wanted to incorporate you know different choreographers into the mega mix finale of the share show and I was he was hoping I could be one of one of those people because he just thought I brought something unique in my vocabulary. And that's really how it happened and then um, you know, I went in choreographed my number that was assigned to me the song save all your tears um he told me he wanted to use umbrellas and yeah it was super fast super quick but what a great opportunity you know and and and so grateful that he took um interest in my work.

[8:44] Joe Rosko: Cool all right. So everyone uh listening, I wanted to touch upon all of that because I I have a feeling that many of you listening, um, myself included, where I talked to peers or or clients, friends, whatnot, of making that transition to the other side of the table and feeling that you have the capacity or the ability to do so, but you just don't know how to do it. How do I how do I break through? So I just wanted to ask you, Karla. We kind of did a couple of checkpoints on your timeline as far as uh how you've done it so far. But what are some key um attributions that or could uh contributions that you would kind of credit for how this is just snowballing and mo and getting momentum on your side?

[9:29] Karla Puno Garcia: Yeah, something I know for sure is I really love and I will never stop creating to just create like for myself, whether that's for class, whether that's of self-produced video. I do a lot of short films on my own, you know, that has really gotten me a lot of notice. But the important thing is that I wasn't creating them to get hired for things. It that ended up happening and it continues to happen, you know, um, in the in the work that I'm produced myself. But I I just have something to say and I get inspired and I want to express it if I hear a great song and then I want to, you know, create a whole world and do a whole short film on it, then that that's happened several times. And then, you know, from there, I mean, I I still I want to tell you because I think this is in line with this um something recently that's happened.

Uh Darko Trejinak, the director of Gentleman's Guide, the Tony Award winner, um, he actually reached out because he noticed a film that I had done years ago. Um, it was called The Spot, and it was in a warehouse. It was to the song Fever, and I did it so long ago, but it is something that he was really drawn to and and he wanted me to, he wants me to work on a new musical with him. And so we're actually going to be working together in the spring on a new work. Never met him before, never worked with him, but my work is just exists online or on my website. And the work is is very organically created. Like I wasn't trying to make it for any anybody or anything or any purpose other than to express myself and get better at choreographing, right?

And and show my voice and to share my voice, share my voice. And so that's something that I know I'm never gonna stop doing, no matter how successful I get. Um and I think I I just attribute a lot of um the things that I've been able to do choreographically to that quality of just loving to create, you know, and I think that more people can really just own that and take advantage of the fact that no one has to tell you to do anything. You can do it on your own, you know.

[11:44] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Okay, so let's rewind to like maybe the first or or second uh short that you put on. Did you have any like imposter syndrome? Did you have any hesitations? I'm asking for the people listening that they're just you know a little trigger shy, and it really just comes down to jumping. So if you could relive that a bit, that'd be great.

[12:08] Karla Puno Garcia: Absolutely, you know. Like I think I look back at some of the earlier films I did, and I'm like, oh my, that's that was a choice, or that looks nuts, you know. And obviously, like our voice changes, we become more confident and we know what we want to say and how we want to say it. Um, but I think in the beginning, I I honestly don't remember feeling that nervous or scared. I was just really excited because I'd be like, oh, I love this piece of music, I want to move this way, I love these dancers. It's gonna be great. So that might have been a little oblivious, but I think that that really helps to just be like, you know, you don't want to compare. Comparing is not good. I used to be that way.

That is something that I used to do. Before I found ownership in what I love, which is like musicality and jazz music and you know, um, how rhythm creates tone and emotion, before I really owned that, I would look around and you know, watch other people's things, and instead of being inspired to do my own, I'd want to be like them and want to mimic and want, oh, they're doing something cool, so I should do it like that, or everyone likes this, so I should do that.

[13:21] Karla Puno Garcia: I did have that type of syndrome where it felt like I was trying to fit into what people like, and then I got past that hump somehow and was like, oh wait, but what I have to say is exciting too.

[13:34] Karla Puno Garcia: And you know, I think that that's always exhilarating to know and to trust in your own uniqueness.

[13:43] Joe Rosko: Okay, I think that's a good segue into you as a teacher at whether it's BDC or Steps. Let's talk about comparison because I know for a lot when they attend class, they know they need to be there, they know they want to be there, but they're in this room full of people, and you know, the way things go, even more so nowadays, it's almost the feeling of it being in an audition or a performance in a way. So maybe you already give this message to people in person when they're taking your class, but what would you say to someone who really struggles with that? With the idea of auditioning and that pressure, but more so in a dance class because you know, that's supposed to be the safe zone of just being able to just work on your craft and not worry about the other people in the room and comparing and yada yada, you know, how or what would you say to people to put down that barrier to just release that and be able to just explore?

[14:49] Karla Puno Garcia: Yeah, I think it's again that notion when you watch someone, you know, and I feel this way when I watch other choreographers work too, it's that notion of being inspired and taking what you appreciate out of that work or that person, and then letting that wash over you and not, you know, staying away from, oh, they're like that, and I'm not like that, or oh, my stuff isn't that way, you know, it's just different, and that's something that I had to learn too as a growing choreographer is like, oh, this person just has a different perspective, so obviously it's gonna be different from yours, like being dancers in a room. This is what I encourage all the time is like me as a choreographer, I want to work with dancers who bring their own perspective.

I want to build up and elevate people who have unique things to say, who move in a different way, you know, and so I'm more interested in that than fitting into a certain type of box. But I always say, as long as you're dancing to the time, I'm very specific about timing and walking on the beat and doing it to the counts. But other than that, like I'm so interested in how you, what your interpretation is. You know, I think that for me, I'd like to set up a space and an environment that allows for a lot of interpretation, but you know, guides in a way of interpreting music and mood the way that I see it because it's my perspective, but I am so interested in what different people can bring. And I think the more that we can look at that and see that in other people, the better we can accept who we are and just continue to grow.

[16:35] Joe Rosko: When you're teaching your classes and choreographing different pieces, would you say that you are going in a trajectory where you're trying to hone in on Karla's specific style, or do you approach your classes as like a blank slate and you're really just trying to just bounce off any idea or any style that you can and then just take from it what you will?

[17:05] Karla Puno Garcia: That's a great question. And I think it's a little bit of both. I think that I like to provide a structure and an outline that is very musically sensitive and in the pocket, but I love meeting dancers who can interpret my material that who come from different backgrounds, you know, someone who is more trained in hip hop or someone who is more jazz trained or modern trained, like how do they interpret within the context of what I'm providing? So I think it is a little bit of both because when I get in a room and I choreograph I love being inspired by the collaboration and, you know, customizing things on unique individuals.

[17:54] Joe Rosko: Cool. I love that and I think it's something that a lot of listeners probably know or should know but it's good to just reaffirm that where it's like you know don't walk in trying to do what you think they want you to do. Do what they're asking but be yourself and bring what you bring to the table because you might just raise an eyebrow or two in the process and you know absolutely that's a great way to say it.

[18:18] Joe Rosko: All right maybe one or two more questions a little bit more difficult and then we'll let you go so first off with all of this success on the other side of the table are you looking to make that kind of like permanent transition of choreographing just purely being a choreographer or do you still have the itch to you know continue to perform on the stage?

[18:18] Karla Puno Garcia: Yeah, um, you know, I for sure when I was in doing Hamilton pre-COVID I was having the time of my life because I was able to go away and do things and choreograph and then just, you know, be a swing. I'm like I'm gonna do this forever what's gonna stop me? Oh, a pandemic that's what how this is gonna break like I literally was excited to continue to choreograph Broadway shows, you know, start choreographing Broadway shows and be a swing in Hamilton at night. The pandemic happened and I actually gained a lot of momentum as a choreographer. I've been associate for Sergio for a couple projects this past year. I've learned a lot, and the projects you're speaking of are coming up. And, you know, there has been a point where I've had to make a decision recently.

And I just logistically like literally can't do both. And so I guess I'm officially saying this on your podcast, but I decided to not return to Hamilton on Broadway. And it was a really, really tough decision. But you know, I emailed the team and you know, Andy Blankenbuehler is obviously one of my inspirations. And he was completely supportive. So is Stephanie Clemens, who is another mentor, the associate choreographer. They both said we knew this was coming. You have so much ahead of you. You know, so having that support was really great. And it makes me, it's comforting to know that I've made the right decision. So I am making space. I do not think I'm done performing. I don't even think it could be the end of me, you know, doing stints on Broadway, maybe.

Um, I really plan to, you know, continue to do anything that really comes up. I'm shooting a movie this month as a dancer, you know, for doing a couple scenes. Um, but I think making this space and not being in an eight show week schedule will really let me grow and explore my choreography like fully and just get really, really good.

[20:50] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Yeah. I think that is another great point to going back to when I was saying, how have you gone about this? And one of those things is making tough decisions and decisions that sometimes might seem like you're taking one step back, but in reality, it's so that you can take two steps forward.

[21:09] Karla Puno Garcia: So that's it. Oh, thank you. You're my therapist in that moment right now. I love that. And someone else put it in a way that, you know, I've grown in this past year. I'd like to say I really have grown and that going back to what I did before would be trying to fit into something that I don't really, um, I don't have room for anymore. You know, so I'd be I'd be trying to shrink into a shape that um existed beforehand. But so yeah, so I am excited. Thank you so much.

[21:37] Joe Rosko: Nice. All right. Well let's cap it off this way. I'm gonna give you like a final TED talk opportunity here. You don't have to share like what the actual dream is you have for the future, but being built for the stage and always trying to give instruction on just bettering yourself in whatever capacity, the dream that you have that you're probably thinking of now how are you in a tangible way and on a daily basis doing things or putting things into action or routine to continue on a path to getting closer to that dream.

[22:16] Karla Puno Garcia: Hmm wow. As you I'll I'll let you keep thinking about it but as you do think about it the question really comes a lot from whether it's career or fitness or whatever people just get stuck in the dream but not the action or how to you know really start putting one foot in front of the other. So my curiosity in asking you this is you know how you make it applicable in your everyday life.

[22:45] Karla Puno Garcia: I love that. You know, I think everything you just, I mean, everything you just said, I try not to get in my head too much about, you know, what are the things I'm doing, because I think it served me up to this point to just go with the flow and feel, you know, like things are super super natural and exciting. I want to make sure that when I'm given opportunities, that they are always, you know, things that I want to do and things, stories that I want to tell, um, along with me staying on top of my own health and, and you know, mental wellness and quality of life is really important to me. I think, you know, taking breaths away from the hustle is super important because then I'm able to recharge, whether that's you know, working out or you know, meditating or just taking a night off to like binge watch Netflix or whatever, like I think honestly, like it sounds silly, but that allows me the space to then the next day go really, really hard.

It's like intervals, like go really, really hard, focus, do the emails, send the things, you know, work on the work on the vocabulary for class, work on this, um, and then take another breath and then have a nice dinner, have a glass of wine, you know. So for me, that balance is very, very important. And, you know, I'm engaged, I'm like planning a wedding, and you know, again, with the quality of life, like it's important to me to be a happy person and to have joy in my life. And when it feels like there's a lot of things that don't serve me, it's you know, time to reevaluate because that takes you farther away from those goals that you're speaking of. And um, keeping that positivity and um culture of keeping things in your life that are joyful, I think um will continue to serve me well.

[24:36] Joe Rosko: Awesome. Well, thanks for that. And everyone that's listening, if you're like, yeah, well, it's easy to follow your passion when all these like awesome opportunities are being put in front of you. But don't forget in the beginning of this conversation, Karla had passion, and maybe the opportunity wasn't being presented, so she just presented it to herself and created her own art, and then creating her own art then led to those opportunities. So whoever's listening out there, you know, just start chasing it, whether it's someone presenting it to you, and if not, start making it yourself.

[25:10] Karla Puno Garcia: Yeah, and I do on that, that's just excellent. Thank you for making me sound much more articulate than I might have. Um, but I will say dance is like writing when you write, you know, essays or write novels, you're writing drafts, right? Choreography is like writing drafts or any type of being creative. And I feel like the more that we go and just say something in the beginning, just like go through it like a draft. Don't think of it as being clean or you know, like I have to pick, nitpick every little thing. Just figure out what you want to say, and then you can worry about how you say it later.

[25:43] Joe Rosko: Awesome. All right, Karla. Thank you so much for your time. That's gonna be our episode for today.

[25:49] Karla Puno Garcia: Awesome. Thank you so much for having me.

[25:51] Joe Rosko: My pleasure. Everyone, that was Karla Puno Garcia. Please give her a follow on the gram, check out her website. All that information on Karla will be in the description of this episode. And be on the lookout for all the things to come with her. I'm putting my money down on big things. So yeah, take a follow along and take another listen to this one. A lot of good stuff from this episode. So thanks again. If you like the podcast, rate, subscribe, leave a comment, and that's it. Joe Rosko here signing off later.