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[0:00] Justin Mach: You're listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. I'm Justin Mach.

[0:14] Justin Mach: Hey, listeners. I'm Justin, and this is Choreographers Making Moves, a new miniseries highlighting female choreographers who are making a difference and making a name for themselves in the business. For our second episode, we're so excited to bring you someone who booked her Broadway debut while still a student at NYU, and has continued to channel her incredible talents not just towards an impressive performing career, but also as a breakout choreographer herself, the wonderful Karla Garcia. Most recently performing as a swing in Hamilton on Broadway, she's also choreographing a brand new musical, Other World, slated for its debut at Bucks County Playhouse in the fall of 2021. We'll talk about what she's learned while performing for other choreographers, how she found her own voice as a creator, and the importance of saying yes to opportunities.

But we begin our conversation with how she got her start, which interestingly enough is linked to our last episode, choreographer Rachel Dolan. Alright, listeners, here's my conversation with Karla Garcia.

[1:16] Karla Garcia: Yeah, Rachel and I grew up in the same area, like the D.C. area.

[1:21] Justin Mach: Oh my gosh, yeah, she mentioned that in the episode. We grew up like competing together.

[1:25] Karla Garcia: Oh my gosh, that's amazing. Yeah, and she said that you both worked with Debbie Allen.

[1:32] Karla Garcia: We did! Yes, oh my gosh. Yes. We didn't do the same show, yeah, but Debbie Allen was doing, she would always do a series, like she did it for a few years, but at the Kennedy Center she did like a children's series, and you'd audition, and it was just a great opportunity for the area, like to work with a legend and do a show. She treated it just like a Broadway show. I did Brothers of the Night, and I did that show.

[1:58] Justin Mach: Oh yeah. I always recall that show. I think she did the next show the next year, but I think, yeah, I always recall that experience because I met so many talented people in that show. That show brought together all this talent that literally I see in New York City, on Broadway, in films. I see them everywhere, in L.A. The talent in the D.C. metro area is incredible, and I'm very, I'm like a proud, like, DMV. I just think, like, there's just a lot of talent that comes from the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area, so that's so cool.

[2:29] Karla Garcia: Yeah, I see, I haven't seen Rachel in a while, but I've been seeing, you know, some of her stuff pop up, so I'm really happy that she's creating, and, like, it's another female voice, so it's cool.

[2:38] Justin Mach: Oh yeah, absolutely, and she had the best things to say about you, as a dancer and as a choreographer.

[2:46] Karla Garcia: Yeah, I love that. That's awesome. Totally, and you both have that Debbie Allen thing. That's so cool. Who knew that that would be an incubator for so many people's, like, the start of so many people's careers?

[2:55] Karla Garcia: Yeah, yes, like, literally, in Hamilton, my co-worker Tanari Vasquez, she was 12 years old, and I was, no, I was 12, and she was, like, 11, but that's where we met, like, she was, she's from Virginia, and I've, I went on to continue to replace her in, like, a couple Broadway shows, like, I replaced her in West Side Story, in Gigi, I was kind of always, like, Tanari's replacement. And then she got to Hamilton, and she was the newbie, and I was like, hey, because I had been in the show for so long, but yeah, but we, you know, we met then, and I had just submitted an audition for a movie, as a dancer, like, I'm still auditioning, you know, so I submitted an audition for a new movie choreographed by Chloe Arnold, who is an incredible tapper, and she was in that show as well, and I'm also watching Walking Dead, I'm re-watching it with David, just because, like, because I wanted to, but the spinoff, Fear of the Walking Dead, stars Corey Hawkins, who was, is from Brothers of the Night, and he went on to play Dr. Dre in Straight Out Compton, the movie, and he was the star of the 24 spinoff, like, it's just, like, seeing all these people, I'm like, wait, literally, like, you were 12, like, we were all so young, and now everyone's taking over, yeah, it's cool.

[4:19] Justin Mach: I know.

[4:20] Karla Garcia: And I actually went on, my first Broadway show, Hot Feet, starred Vivian, Debbie Allen's daughter, yeah, and, yeah, it was, like, really full circle, and then when I was on So You Think You Can Dance, I think Debbie was a judge on one of the episodes, but that, that experience, like, I don't even know if Debbie connected, and remember, you know, it just moved so fast, and, like, the TV thing, but anyway, yeah, so, all in all, it's really cool to, yeah, connect.

[4:48] Justin Mach: Yeah, absolutely. What was your Broadway debut like in Hot Feet? Was that a goal of yours, was it kind of a fluke, like, somewhere in between? Where did that fit in with your, like, creative goals at the time?

[4:58] Karla Garcia: Oh my gosh, that's a great question. So I was in school, I was at NYU Tisch at the time, and I was a senior, my third year, because it's a three-year program, and I went to an open call, and it was one of my first auditions, because I didn't really have time to audition, and I was really intimidated by that whole environment, like, I had a lot of friends that were still in college that did audition, but I just, I stayed in my little, like, NYU 10-block radius, you know, I went to school, and I didn't really do that, but yeah, I, like, went in between classes, and I went to Midtown, and I danced, like, I was so naive, and I was like, I guess that you just have to dance really, really hard, and so I just, you know, went for it, and Maurice picked me out, and he said, he was like, you can dance, like, you can really dance, and I was like, thank you, and, and, and, you know, I was like, oh, this, that must be a good thing, so he said callbacks would be in a couple days, and I'm like, well, I'm definitely getting a callback, I mean, that felt, that felt right, so then two days passed, and I don't hear anything, and, you know, I went through the whole, oh, this is what everyone says, like, you have to, you know, just accept rejection, and I know he liked me, but it must have been something else, like, things you can't control, you know, it's that whole thing, and I, I told my parents, and they, and my dad, like, was like, yeah, you know, this, and they consoled me, so I kind of already went through that whole stage, and then I check an email that I don't normally check, but it was Paul Hart Casting, they were like, Carla, uh, we've been trying to dial this phone number, you know, we really need you to come to the callback, and he listed the phone number one digit on the number that I guess was on my resume was incorrect, so they were dialing a wrong number, and never got a hold of me, oh, wow, so it was, yeah, and so I immediately call, and I'm like, hey, this is Carla Garcia, I see that you're trying to get a hold of me, and Paul was like, hey, we've been looking for you, and I'm like, I'm so sorry, is there another callback, he was like, no, you missed it, but Maury's absolutely loved you, you booked the show.

[7:02] Justin Mach: What, no, it's the weirdest story, no one understands, like, because that doesn't happen, oh my god, that's amazing, like, you don't go to an open call, and then miss the callback, and still get the job, they saved you a spot.

[7:17] Karla Garcia: So I definitely attest that to luck, and you know, I made an impression, but I was very lucky, so yeah, and it's funny, because that was my Broadway debut, and it was amazing, cut to just sidebar, Paul Hart is actually the casting director for a show I'm currently choreographing called Otherworld, it's like my big project right now, yeah, absolutely, which is so exciting, it is exciting, but it is kind of full circle, because I was like, oh, Paul, remember when you tried to track me down, like my Broadway debut, and now he's casting a show I'm choreographing, I know, yeah, it's so amazing, it is cool, but yeah, so Hot Feet was like, it was so exciting, I had to take off my last semester from NYU, everyone was very supportive, and I took a leave of absence to do the show, it debuted in DC, in my hometown, at the National Theater for out-of-town tryout, and then we ran for three months on Broadway, which was quite long, considering the reviews we got, I mean, it was not a hit, not a hit at all, but I'm just such a glass half full girl, where, you know, I got my Broadway debut, I got an agent, I met like incredible people, the way that I got the show was very rare, I was very grateful, sure, and so luckily it ended in time for me to come back to NYU and finish my last semester, and I got to graduate, so that was a fun experience, and I wasn't choreographing yet, I really only started choreographing later on in my performance career, and I think that's because I also developed a voice from the influences I had from working with many different choreographers, like, yeah, like I always enjoyed it in my teaching job, so my in-between gig was always teaching, I wasn't very good at really anything else, like retail, or hosting, I really tried it, I tried, I worked at a restaurant, and I got the, like, delivery orders wrong, and I got all this food sent to the kitchen that, like, wasn't supposed to happen, it just, like, all these things happened that were, like, and then I got let go from Express, remember the shop Express, is that, no, that's still a shop, I work there, I buy from there, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's still around, late hours, like, and my schedule was, I just, I, my energy wasn't in it, and I think, yeah, so for me, like, it was teaching at a dance studio, and when you teach at a dance studio, as most people know, you know, like, you have to create content, so you create content for dance combinations, and that starts a whole thing in your brain, and in your spirit, so I always enjoyed it, and I started choreographing for dance competition studios, where that is a whole nother outlet and way to explore your voice, but I think, as far as, like, feeling super confident in my movement, and what I have to say as a choreographer, that definitely came after working with all these choreographers in the many shows that I've been in, for sure.

[10:22] Justin Mach: That's amazing. So, Hot Feet happens, you're teaching for a while, you're starting to find your own voice, then West Side is kind of your next influential place, like, Jerome Robbins, I was reading your bio in your, in your website, what is a inspiration for you, did it happen during the revival, or were you always a fan of his?

[10:33] Karla Garcia: Yeah, I mean, I grew up at a dance studio that produced Broadway performers and Rockettes, and so, dance for Broadway and musical theater, specifically, was always the goal, so we had a lot of insight into the pioneers, like Bob Fosse, and Jack Cole, and Jerome Robbins, and we were taught, we weren't taught a lot of, like, musical theater, hardcore musical theater, but in terms of dance, we understood who Fosse was, what that movement was, Jerome Robbins, and, you know, West Side Story, but I, so I always, I always understood how iconic it was to be able to perform that choreography, you know, and that's how I felt when I booked the show, yeah, like, I was like, wow, I get to do America, and I get to do the Somewhere Ballet, but I think I was still in my teaching at dance studios stage of my life, where it was kind of, like, compartmentalizing performing and choreography, so I think that the getting to do Jerome Robbins' choreography was, it was subliminally affecting my voice, but I wasn't, like, consciously being like, oh, great, this will be great to learn this, I think I was just being washed over by the experience, and I think after Hot Feet, I did, oh, yeah, I did do a little bit of, I was actually on a hip-hop dance crew called Boogie Bots, I don't put it in my bio or anything, but yeah, but it was more of a social environment, I dated someone who was really in the scene, and in the underground, like, hip-hop scene, I also had a lot of friends that were involved in Culture Shock DC, which is, like, a non-for-profit hip-hop, it's where people like the Jabbawockeez or Keone and Mari, like, they all, you know, like, all had connections to Culture Shock, DC, LA, they have different groups throughout the country, that influence, I don't talk about it a lot, but I feel like just being around that environment, getting to go to house dance battles and underground foundational hip-hop style battles in New York City, just being exposed to that world has definitely influenced a lot of my voice as a choreographer, like, street dancers are so free in how they hear music, and just the whole culture of hip-hop, and how the specific styles of, like, whacking and locking and house, and, you know, I will never say that I mastered any of that, but I definitely was exposed to it, and I soaked it all in for the time that I, that I was introduced to it, so I definitely like to acknowledge that part of my life as how it influenced me in my choreography, so that combined with, like, doing, like, Jerome Robbins choreography, and, you know, like, and honestly, like, my time at TISH at NYU, like, I wasn't a, you had mentioned, um,

[13:34] Karla Garcia: I was a competition kid. Like, I did, like, jazz and tap. But then when I got to NYU, like, I was around lots of people who had gone to art schools, who had studied modern, who did more classical forms that I didn't do. And so just being around that, like, I felt like a sponge and it influenced the way I moved and the way I performed different movement. Because, you know, conservatories and dance conservatories are very different from, like, commercial dance programs. Like, it's not like Pace commercial dance. Like, it's like conservatories, you're really, yeah, you know, like, you're studying how movement is the main event, even more than storytelling. It's not theater, you know, like, it's like body state, it's like dance for your body and for movement and the aesthetic and how that can move an idea.

Like, it's very idea based, but it can be theatrical. But yeah, so that was, that's definitely also been, yeah, been an influence. So then West Side, and then, oh, sorry, I don't even know if I answered your question.

[14:37] Carly: You absolutely did. Karla, you have a movement style and a choreographic style that is all your own. And as I'm talking to you and recognizing the house influence and Jerome Robbins, it all kind of starts to make sense and come together because you do let all of those wash over you as you're working. And it shows in your material.

[14:53] Karla Garcia: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much. It kind of sounds like these big credits in a credit driven industry have been very important, but it's also been the in-between moments for you that have allowed you to find your voice as a choreographer. And I guess before we move on to Hamilton, I wonder if there's any other moments you'd like to talk about that have influenced you as a choreographer, or maybe a spark for you that kind of was the moment that the choreographic bug like really bit you and took over your life.

[15:29] Karla Garcia: That's such a great question. It's true. It's like everybody's journey as a choreographer or as a performer. It's like it's so it's so different. You can't plan anything and you can't plan how you're going to get inspired or when, you know, when is that moment? Oh, I did want to mention it was Wicked. Wicked was another one. Wicked is very, it's like we call them champagne hands like Wayne Solento, you know, choreograph. It's more transitions in terms of the choreography for that show. If you're not looking for the dancing, you might not always recognize it. But I mean, people are dancing in that show. And I remember that was the because right after Hot Feet, like that was my next like big show.

And it was very successful. Yeah. So it was very well loved. And I toured with it. And I remember that the doing that choreography every night, like you when you start to teach and like teach classes, like all of your choreography starts to look at the choreography, look like the choreography you're performing every night, you know, like you're like, well, this feels right. Like it's going to be really thrashy and very like wicked asking lyrical jazz, you know, because that just happens, you know, it just happens. You're doing it every night.

[16:36] Karla Garcia: Yeah, exactly. You're living in this material. Yeah, exactly. And living, literally living. And I remember even doing like benefits with other cast members during that tour. All of our dances were very much like very like wicked as because also we all moved like that. So it like made sense that you know, we would do choreography like that. But that was a definitely another influence. I think that you're right, though. It's the in between moments. It's the it's the the teaching and choreography for dance studios, to be honest, like we're like you said, like they were definitely these glue between the big performances that were like, they kept the bridges between them that were like, okay, you're you're still growing.

Like, you know, we always talk about like, oh, wait, we're out of work. And what are we doing? I really like look, I left the wicked tour after seven months. And that's really controversial because it was during my mom was like, What are you doing? It was during like the recession. It was like 2008 or something. And it was a great job. But at the time, I was really interested in in hip hop. I think I was in a long distance relationship. I was young and whatever it all worked out.

[17:49] Karla Garcia: Oh my god, it's so hard. And you're like, I'm missing out on so many things. I wanted to get back to New York. But you know, I am a big advocate for what brings you joy. And for me, I probably should have stayed a couple more months and save some money. But like, I just I don't know, like, I think if I'm not being fed creatively, and like I'm not being fulfilled, I don't feel productive in that way. Like it doesn't matter to me how much money I'm making, because I to me, I can always figure that out. I can always figure that out. With with teaching and with the with the supplemental jobs that have always like helped me like I've established the hustle.

[18:33] Karla Garcia: Yeah, so hard. It's weird because I have a lot of credits. But honestly, like they were all very Hamilton's the longest job I've had, obviously, but the duration of time for these gigs that you're that we're talking about are very short. Like they were like, a month or two months, right? You know, Adam's family was the longest. It was like a year besides Hamilton. Like I committed to staying there. Yeah, but Wicked was seven months. Gigi was like two months a month. You know, it just sounds like a lot of credit, but they were short.

[19:03] Karla Garcia: Yeah, yeah. And there was a lot of in between time or some in between time. Yeah, exactly. There was more in between time, I would say. And that's where I really grew. Like I grew there. And because I took hold of how I wanted to be creative, like I just wanted to teach and choreograph and on these, you know, mostly kids like at these dance studios. And I think that there's a creative freedom about that, because you're given license to really like, you know, tell whatever story you want to tell. And then from there, obviously, like at for benefits on tour, like at Wicked and Adam's family, like I was like, Oh, I'm going to choreograph something, you know, like there's there's those opportunities. And I'm a big yes person. Like I just say yes.

[19:40] Karla Garcia: That's why I'm also like, overbooked in terms of like, like, you know, like, they're like, do you want to do this thing? Yes. Do you have time? No, but we're gonna make it work. It's gonna be fine. You know, but I think I such an important mindset, though, such an important thing. So because I feel like I like the I like being held accountable. Like I think that, you know, I do a lot of content for myself in terms of concept videos and things like that. But in order to make sure that I really do it, I'm like, Oh, I'm inspired by this idea. I'm gonna book space right now. So okay, I'm booking space, like I have to do it. Oh, I'm asking these dancers, I don't even I didn't choreograph it yet, or whatever.

But I'm already I'm making the commitments, right? I'm like, Okay, I got the dancers, I got the space, you have no choice, like you're gonna do it, you know, and because I think that that's people get in their own way, and they're like, I'm not ready. I'm like, I don't give myself the choice, like, so you just have to like, try it, like, just do it. And and I feel myself getting better and better each time, because I forced myself to like be in that thing.

[20:45] Karla Garcia: So I guess I don't think there was like a moment, I think progressively over time, I have just become more confident. I definitely think teaching class when I taught at Broadway Dance Center, I started teaching there right before Gigi, I think. And I had a class like Monday, Wednesdays from like seven to 830. It was something in the evening, something very inconvenient for everybody. But I started with like, yeah, like six people, sometimes there would be like 12. And I'd be like, Oh my gosh, like, it's a good day today, you know, but I was just doing my thing. Like, I just enjoyed like, teaching. And then I got Gigi. And you know, so now I'm on the Broadway schedule, and I continue to teach. But then when Hamilton happened, like, I feel like that platform really attracted a lot of people. And from there, I felt even more confident and not saying like, I, it was all Hamilton, but it was the in tandem with with Hamilton.

[21:36] Karla Garcia: And at that point, I was executing that choreography, which is probably the most influential, like Andy Blankenbuehler is like one of the most influential voices to me choreographically. And I just love his outlook on the use of ensemble and staging and idea and tension. And yeah, Hamilton happened. And then I'm still teaching at Broadway Dance Center, like I was able to use that platform to really, you know, say what I what I want to say. So if there was any kind of dramatic shift, it would probably be Yeah, when I when I joined Hamilton, and then I choreographed our Broadway cares piece like that year for Gypsy of the Year.

[22:16] Karla Garcia: Yeah, and I was just very honest. We did a I collaborated with Kurt Crowley, our music director, and we did a Langston Hughes poem combined with Bob Marley's One Love. And so we collaborated and it was a few dancers, I had just joined the show. And so it was like, Oh, I get to choreograph, you know, and share with like the Broadway community. And we ended up winning that year. Oh my gosh, Carla.

[22:36] Karla Garcia: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was cool. I mean, I didn't expect it. I was like, what, but it was just a very appropriate piece to the time. You know, Trump had just got elected. And yeah, yeah, it was the first time that Lion King like didn't win. And you're like, that's amazing. But yeah, it was cool. I was happy to get to share my voice as a Hamilton cast member, but also as an emerging choreographer with the community, you know, so yeah, absolutely. Very cool.

[23:05] Carly: So it's, um, had you met Andy before you got the offer for Hamilton? Did you meet him through the audition process? Or had you met him before that?

[23:10] Karla Garcia: Yeah. So I have been auditioning for Andy since In the Heights, like years ago, I took his class back at the old Broadway Dance Center. You know, he taught a really, really popular class. Yeah. And I was doing hot feet at the time. And In the Heights was auditioning. And that was his first show, I believe. Yeah. And so he was like, an emerging, you know, hot new choreographer, I was definitely in callbacks for for Heights. And I never did. I never did the show. But I always auditioned for Andy. So then from there, he did fly and bandstand. I think I did some pre pro for Yeah, I did some pre pro for Heights. But at the time, I didn't know, understand what pre pro I was, I would do so many things better. I just didn't get like that. That's like an incredible opportunity, you know, to work with, and to be brought in. I think I just didn't.

[24:01] Karla Garcia: Yeah, I didn't get it. And I would definitely have taken more. I also wasn't as confident. I was just a body. I was like a dancer. And I'm like, okay, what do you need us to do? So that felt like kind of a missed opportunity. But it all all in time, like it all happened for a reason. But yeah, so I always went in for Andy. But I actually Yeah, I never I never got a job. And I think that when Hamilton happened, there was a huge dancer call for the mixtape, the public theater, the workshop, but even before the public.

[24:27] Karla Garcia: Yeah. So it was like a ton of New York City's best dancers. And there were we were at I forget what theater we're auditioning in. But we did rumor it happened and Yorktown. It was the first time like anybody heard this music. And it was like, oh my god, like rumor when I heard rumor happens. I was like, what is this music? And we learned that combination. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. And it's like cathartic. And we're like, what is this? You know, so cool. I think I like saying I made a cut and saying but I never I didn't even get a callback from that big call. And I was like, Well, that's cool. I hope you know, I hope that show seems seems cool. And then a few months later, they opened up the public, there was all this talk like this new show. And then they were opening on Broadway.

[25:07] Karla Garcia: And I got called in. There were five women who eventually we all ended up being in the show in some way. But there were five of us that were called in because they needed a swing immediately. And I had a flight to go to California to visit my aunt. And my agent was like, Well, it'll always be around. You can, you know, don't miss your flight. And I'm like, Wait, but I feel like I should go. And I didn't know there were only five people called. So I get to the audition. And there's like five of us. I'm like, Well, I'm really glad I'm here.

[26:27] Karla Garcia: Yeah. So we dance for the camera. They film us we do those combinations. We do when it happens. And I think Yorktown and then we sing and that was it. And I remember my friend Camille Upshaw, she had gone to an open call. And I could just tell like, you know, there's an energy like, I'm like, I feel like you're gonna get this. Like, I feel like it just felt like her time. Yeah. And in the room, too. And I still knew it was important for me to be there. Like, I'm like, well, they put us on film. And you know, this show just just opening right now. But lo and behold, she she booked it like she she got the swing position. I was like, great. And I was in California. And I was really excited for her. It was her debut. And then I came back to New York and I saw her in the show like a couple months later. And I'm like, yay.

[26:57] Karla Garcia: And then a month after I saw the show, I get a call I was set to do West Side Story Carnegie Hall. And that was two weeks away from when I got this call. And so my agent was like, okay, they're calling you in. But this is for an immediate replacement or immediate swing position. And if you the call is tomorrow. But if they want you to get this in order for us to get out of your Carnegie Hall West Side contract, you have to go in like now like in two hours. So I was like, okay. And they were like, also, you're the only one called. So I was like, well, okay.

[27:08] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Welcome back to The Ensemblist. Today, we’re diving into the world of choreography with our guest, Karla Garcia.

[27:38] Karla Garcia: Thanks for having me! I’m really excited to be here and talk about my journey.

[27:58] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s start from the beginning. You booked your Broadway debut while still a student at NYU. Can you tell us about that experience?

[28:18] Karla Garcia: Absolutely! It was a whirlwind. I was balancing my studies and auditions, and when I got the call that I booked the show, it was surreal. I was in class when I found out, and I just remember feeling so grateful and excited.

[28:38] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: That’s amazing! And now you’re not just performing but also choreographing. How did you transition into choreography?

[28:58] Karla Garcia: It happened gradually. I was always interested in choreography, but it wasn’t until I started working with different choreographers that I really found my voice. I learned so much from observing them and then started creating my own work.

[29:18] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: What do you think is the most important lesson you’ve learned from those experiences?

[29:38] Karla Garcia: I think the biggest lesson is to say yes to opportunities. You never know where they might lead you. Every job, every collaboration has taught me something valuable.

[29:58] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: That’s such a great mindset to have. Speaking of opportunities, you’re currently performing as a swing in Hamilton. How has that experience been for you?

[30:18] Karla Garcia: It’s been incredible! The energy of the show is unmatched, and being a swing has really challenged me in the best way. I’ve had to learn multiple tracks, and it’s pushed me to grow as a performer.

[30:38] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: It sounds like a fantastic challenge. You’re also choreographing a new musical, Other World. Can you share a bit about that project?

[30:58] Karla Garcia: Yes! Other World is a brand new musical that explores themes of adventure and self-discovery. I’m really excited about the choreography because it allows me to blend my performance background with my creative vision.

[31:18] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: That sounds like a perfect fit for you. How do you approach the choreography for a new piece like this?

[31:38] Karla Garcia: I start by understanding the story and the characters. I want the movement to reflect their journeys and emotions. Collaboration with the director and the cast is also key to creating something special.

[31:58] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Collaboration is so important in this industry. Can you tell us about a memorable collaboration you’ve had?

[32:18] Karla Garcia: One of my favorite collaborations was with Rachel Dolan, who was featured in last week’s episode. Working with her taught me so much about the creative process and the importance of trusting your instincts.

[32:38] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: It’s great to hear how those connections influence your work. What advice would you give to aspiring choreographers?

[32:58] Karla Garcia: I would say to keep creating and don’t be afraid to put your work out there. Take classes, attend workshops, and network with other artists. The more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities will come your way.

[33:18] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Wise words! As we wrap up, what’s next for you after Other World?

[33:38] Karla Garcia: I’m looking forward to continuing to choreograph and perform. I have a few projects in the pipeline, and I’m excited to see where this journey takes me.

[33:58] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: We can’t wait to see what you do next! Thank you so much for joining us today, Karla.

[34:18] Karla Garcia: Thank you for having me! It’s been a pleasure.

[34:38] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: And thank you to our listeners for tuning in. Until next time!