Corine Cohen: I Loved Jerry’s choreography in ” Kinky Boots” it was very inventive. Particularly during the fashion show and on the machine making boots scene, and the ” Sex Is In The Heel” number. Tell me what goes on. Do you sit with the Director Jerry Mitchell and work on it together? What is the process?
Rusty Mowery: We work together with a group of Actors, dancers in a studio for a few weeks. We create a vocabulary of steps and see what they look like on us and start building numbers that may or may not make it into the show you see today.
Corine Cohen: Did you also work with Jerry on any of the BC/EFA Broadway Bares and did you ever dance in a production?
Rusty Mowery: I’ve danced in so many, I’ve lost count. That’s how I met Jerry!
Corine Cohen: Loved you in Hairspray. What do you enjoy more, acting/dancing or choreography?
Rusty Mowery: I love everything about Broadway. I love telling stories on stage or film. As a dancer, actor or choreographing.
Corine Cohen: The Sex is In The Heel – how hard was it for the men to learn to walk and dance in those red, sequin boots? Wayne Brady was incredible. What kind of work did he have to do to wear them and dance in them?
Rusty Mowery: Wayne had four weeks of studio work to perfect all the moves in flats and then we strapped on his heels, and he learned how to be a lady. I always tell the guys to wear a pair of heels at home just doing everyday things to see how your body has to move when you’re six inches off the ground. The whole way your core muscles work changes.
Corine Cohen: I am a lady, and I could not walk never mind dance in those heels! “Kinky Boots” is very entertaining and a lot of fun. How much rehearsal time does the show have when the show is about to open and what do you do later with new cast members?
Rusty Mowery: When we are starting a new company of Kinky, we have six- eight weeks of rehearsals. We did six weeks before our Chicago try out and four weeks before we opened on Broadway.
New cast members get about two weeks (twelve days with two days off)
Corine Cohen: Tell me about your new project coming to Broadway this Spring.
Rusty Mowery: Next up is setting “Kinky Boots” in Tokyo with a Japanese cast and then setting our Australian company in Melbourne and Sidney.
Corine Cohen: If you could act or perform in any current Broadway production, what would you pick and why?
Rusty Mowery: I would love to do “An American In Paris” to dance to that incredible score. Also, I want to be cool enough for “Hamilton.”
Corine Cohen: What are your favorite top three Broadway shows and why?
Rusty Mowery: My favorite shows I’ve been in are “Ragtime” and “Hairspray” loved the scope, message, and music of Ragtime, it was an epic experience being on stage with Audra and Stokes.
“Hairspray” was the most fun show I’ve ever danced! If you can’t have fun dancing Jerry’s “YOU CANT, STOP THE BEAT” You’re dead inside. Ha! Ha!
Corine Cohen: I agree! I love that number!If they could bring back ” A Chorus Line” would you want to choreograph that show?
Rusty Mowery: OH HELL NO! WHY MESS WITH PERFECTION?!?!?
I want to thank Rusty Mowery for taking time out of his very busy schedule to do this interview. See “Kinky Boots” on Broadway or the Tour and coming soon to Japan and Australia! Rusty is currently the Associate Choreographer in Kinky Boots with Director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell.
I adored the show even more the second time around so don’t miss “Kinky Boots” on Broadway. It’s a blast.
