Meet AC Ciulla, choreographer of the new Broadway Musical, Footloose.

Finis: Let's talk about Footloose. What's it about, and what are you doing with it, and where's it going?

AC: The show is about a young man who moves from Chicago to a local town where dancing is not allowed because the son of the town preacher was killed in a car wreck as a result of drugs and rock and roll. So, music and dancing have been banned from the town. This young man moves there, meets the preacher's daughter, and challenges the preacher and the town to see that just because tragedy occurred once, it needn't happen again. Of course, the preacher doesn't want the young man near hisdaughter, because he thinks the man will cause trouble. The young man gets a group of local kids together and plans to have a dance, to show that dancing doesn't have to lead to sex and violence. So, the dance goes on, and the preacher changes his mind and everybody's happy. It's a very up show, lots of singing and dancing.

Finis: Sounds great!

AC: Some of the music for the show comes from the movie sound track, which knocked Michael Jackson's Thriller off the charts.

Finis: Who are the people behind Footloose?

AC: Dean Pitchford wrote the movie and the show; Walter Bobbie (of CHICAGO success) is directing; and both Dean and Walter did the stage adaptation. Tom Snow has written new songs for the show, as the movie was not really a musical. Doug Katsarous, now conducting THE LIFE on Broadway, will be our musical director. And, I'm choreographing.

Finis: Is this your first Broadway show?

AC: This is the first Broadway show I'm choreographing.

Finis: How did you get the job?

AC: The producers and Walter auditioned three choreographers. They gave us the hit song from the movie version, Let's Hear It For the Boy, and told us to see what we could do with it. Walter Bobbie liked my choreography, but wanted to see what I could do story-wise. So, I made a production number about teaching one of the local guys how to dance. Drawing upon my own theatrical experience, I went all out. I got a band and singer, and because the number takes place in a Hoe-Down Bar, I even got haystacks, which amused the producers.

Finis: And when did you learn you had gotten the job?

AC: On my 30th birthday. My birthday seems to be my lucky day, because now I just found out on my 31st birthday that there will also be a National Company which will go out in December. We had two preview shows for ticket sellers nationwide, and they were sold out. It was an overwhelming success, and the tour is already booked.

Finis: That's fabulous! When are you opening on Broadway?

AC: October 22, at The Richard Rogers Theater. However, before that, our world premiere is in August, at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Finis: When do you begin rehearsals?

AC: In late June, here in New York City.

Finis: Where did you find your dancers for Footloose?

AC: First of all, for my audition presentation, I picked dancers that I either had worked with before or taught in my classes. I wanted to come in with the whole package, so I picked people I thought could actually be in the Broadway show.

Finis: What did you look for when selecting your performers?

AC: Obviously, I wanted youth, energy. One of the most important things for me is that I wanted to break the mold of the typical (tall, thin, & leggy) body type for a dancer. I wanted to see people whom I thought would actually look like they lived in a small town. There are 14 dancers in the show, 7 girls and 7 guys. They all have to be triple threats: dance, sing, and act.

Finis: What other qualities did you look for?

AC: Consistency, and stamina, because there are eight shows a week. Healthy bodies.

Finis: How much dancing is there in Footloose?

AC: This is a funny question, because in the story line, we're in a town where you're not allowed to dance. When I had my final meeting with Walter Bobbie, he said to me, "You have a dance show where dancing is not allowed. Good luck!"

Finis: So how are you doing this?

AC: We've found other ways, through musical staging, to keep the energy of the show up without actually doing out and out production numbers. And that's not counting the opening number, which takes place in a Chicago Disco, so of course there's dancing.

Finis: Sounds like an exciting way to open a show! And, based on your own history as a performer and star teacher, it looks like Footloose is going to be a huge success. Let's go back to your beginnings. How did you start dancing?

AC: I began with gymnastics, when I was 10.

Finis: Where was this?

AC: In South Jersey, an hour and 20 minutes from New York City. My father was in the construction business, so there were always bricks and beams in our yard, which I made into a balance beam. My brother's girl friend was a dance teacher, so when she'd visit, she'd see me doing gymnastics in the back yard. She said her dance studio was looking for a gymnastics teacher, and so, when I was 15, I began teaching. Instead of paying me, the owner told me I could have free dance classes. At first I said, no, I didn't want to dance. While I would wait for my class to start, there would be children's tap classes going on in the same room, and I secretly tapped with my feet under the desk. The owner, Gen LaGratta, saw that I was showing some interest in tap, so began to work with me. She remarked on my line, and I explained I was also figure skating.

Finis: How far did you go with skating?

AC: I tried the training -- going to the ice rink at 5:30 in the morning -- but I decided I didn't like it. I just turned it into a hobby.

Finis: At this time, then, were you thinking of a dance career?

AC: No. I was on the gymnastic team in school -- all girls except for me -- and my dreams were to someday be in the Olympics.

Finis: Wasn't that hard for you, the only guy on a girls' team, in a small town? That was gutsy of you.

AC: I just loved gymnastics, I had always loved it, and would sit in front of the TV and watch all the gymnastics specials. I could tolerate the teasing and the normal flack you get when you're an adolescent, because I really wanted to learn and do gymnastics. The gymnastic floor exercises were set to music, so that's where I began moving to music. People often say I have an athletic, gymnastic style in my dancing, and I guess that's where it all came from.

Finis: Well, good for you, having the courage of your convictions. Not many young guys would have persevered, under those circumstances. What happened next?

AC: I continued studying tap, but I would also lock myself in the studio and just dance and do gymnastic flips to music. Then the movie FLASHDANCE came out, and that was about a natural dancer with gymnastic abilities, so I related to it. And then, I saw the movie FOOTLOOSE and that made me want to get out of my home town and pursue my dreams, just like the hero in the movie. So, it's really strange that today I am choreographing the musical version of FOOTLOOSE on Broadway.

Finis: Well, you followed your dreams, and they came true!

AC: Yes. I had finally found something that was the perfect combination of everything I liked to do. I remember dancing in the studio, with the door slightly open, and parents watching me. They were very encouraging. They asked me how I'd learned, where it came from. I said, "I don't know, I just love to dance." That led to me teaching dance at the studio. That's when I started going into New York City. Gen told me I needed training, so she took me to a convention where I met Frank Hatchett, and loved his style. I studied with Frank and Phil Black (both of whom now teach at The Broadway Dance Center).

Finis: Tell us about your performing career.

AC: I've been performing since I was 15, which started at a local talent competition, which I won. Through the connections I was making in New York, I started working immediately. I did TV commercials and different dance projects that I traveled with. I did that for a few years, then got into a jazz dance company called WAVES, based in Philadelphia. I had met a few company members while shooting a commercial, and they said I should meet the director. WAVES had just lost a soloist to the Pennsylvania Ballet, so I was asked to audition. I had a routine to a song Over the Rainbow by Sam Harris, who was becoming quite successful on STAR SEARCH. I remember the night I saw him sing that song, so I said to my mom, I'm going to dance to that song. I auditioned for WAVES with that song, and since the director liked the way I did the solo, I got to perform Over the Rainbow everywhere we toured internationally, which led to my being spotted in London by a choreographer named Arlene Phillips.

Finis: It's amazing how everything connects.

AC: Years later, when STARLIGHT EXPRESS came to Broadway, Arlene was the choreographer, and she remembered my dancing Over The Rainbow and hired me for the original cast. I was 19. While doing STARLIGHT, I realized I just didn't want to be a slot in a show; I wanted to have my own voice.

Finis: So what did you do about that?

AC: I started my own production company, and choreographed several club shows in New York City, which caught the eye of Richard Ellner, who owned The Broadway Dance Center. He knew that I had shows running and was employing dancers and would have a following, so he asked me to teach at BDC.

Finis: And how did that go for you?

AC: It was scary at first.

Finis: Why?

AC: Because I was a self-taught dancer, without proper training. I felt nervous and a bit insecure, surrounded by such amazing teachers at BDC. I never dreamed I'd be teaching under the same roof with teachers like Frank Hatchett and Phil Black. I questioned myself; did I know enough about dance to be a good teacher, and not just show a style. However, Richard Ellner always encouraged me to take chances and do what I believed in, and through time, I learned the things I needed to learn, so that I could teach and inspire others.

Finis: What you're telling us is very interesting, for here you are today choreographing a Broadway show, after a successful performing-choreographing- teaching career, and it comes about that you are largely self-taught. And, you are directing dancers who, for the most part, are trained dancers. What thoughts do you have about training for young dancers today?

AC: I believe that dancers should be as versatile as they can be. I think that ballet is a must, not only to learn the proper positions and lines, but to build the strength, so that when a choreographer like myself asks you to go off balance, you not only understand the difference, but know how to get back on your leg.

Finis: This is valuable information for all the young dancers reading this column who someday want to perform professionally on Broadway.

AC: Through the auditions for FOOTLOOSE, I see a lot of people with natural ability who can do some amazing things. However, the difference is clear. I can tell in the first two beats of movement how the rest is going to go. I always tell the dancers, you have to understand both worlds. You don't have to think you're taking ballet to be a ballet dancer. You take it because it gives you the foundation that will get you through any style of dance.

Finis: You're still young, and you've already had a rich and fulfilling career and life. Do you have any more thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?

AC: I think training is so important. You know, I've taught and judged a lot of competitions, and you can tell that the routines are rehearsed to perfection, but then you see the very same dancers in your class, and find that class is much more difficult for them to do. I think a trained dancer is someone who studies all aspects of dance, including understanding how the muscles work. I've heard Cecilia Marta tell her students that in order to execute the movement properly, they have to understand how to do it properly through their muscles. This is also so important in order to prevent injury. I think that, in the end, it's up to each dancer to find out as much as possible, so that when you come up for that Broadway show, you're going to be ready for it.

Finis: Since Footloose doesn't begin until June, how are you spending your time.

AC: Teaching at The Broadway Dance Center.

Finis: Well, AC, you've worked for your success. We wish you the best!