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<\/p>\nThe musical Hamilton reached Broadway in 2015, and its blend of American history with R&B, pop and hip hop music was an instant success. \u201cThis is a story about America then, told by America now,\u201d playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda explained to The Atlantic, \u201cand we want to eliminate any distance between a contemporary audience and this story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton took 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. More than a phenomenon, the show has been seen by over 28 million people around the world.<\/p>\n
The official Broadway touring company visits the Straz Center\u2019s Morsani Hall beginning Wednesday, with performances through Nov. 8.<\/p>\n
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Lexi Garcia-Toye. Publicity photo.<\/p>\n
Orlando dancer, singer and actor Lexi Garcia-Toye joined the HamFam (that\u2019s what they call themselves) in 2017, two years after she graduated with a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College. She spent two years as an ensemble member on Broadway, then toured the country.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s the 2026 tour\u2019s Dance Captain, and also a swing performer, which means she knows all the steps, in every number, and can fill in when an ensemble member is ill, or injured, or otherwise unable to go on.<\/p>\n
Garcia-Toye will be with the company in Tampa.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job as Dance Captain is to make sure the integrity of what the original cast and creatives made way back when stays the same,\u201d she says. \u201cBut then also, I have to walk this very fine line of yes, I have to upkeep that integrity, while also celebrating and supporting what these current cast members are bringing to the table. And allow them to shine as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s just this beautiful balance. And that\u2019s what\u2019s allowed me, for nine years, to pop in and out of the show. Every single time I\u2019ve had the opportunity to jump back in, I\u2019ve been blown away by what I\u2019ve seen onstage and what I\u2019ve received from the audience members.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Tony-winning choreography by Andy Blankenbuehle, she says, is obviously set in stone. \u201cAnd I\u2019m such a dork, but our show is a living, breathing thing. It\u2019s such a cool thing to experience, because the show is such a statement of where we are at in time and space. And it changes not just yearly but, I\u2019m telling you, daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we swings, including the males, get to step on, our energy and our personality and what we sprinkle into the show also changes. Kind of the texture, or the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia-Toye expects to perform as part of the ensemble several times during the Tampa run \u2013 her beloved grandmother lives here, and it\u2019s been discussed within the company \u2013 but at press time, she didn\u2019t have the \u201cswing-on\u201d schedule.<\/p>\n
Back in 2015, she fell in love with the Hamilton cast album, long before she ever saw it onstage. \u201cHearing the soundtrack alone, there was something in me that thought \u2018This is something that\u2019s so much bigger than quote-unquote just a show.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI could tell within the lyrics, we\u2019re talking about humanity. And that\u2019s why the show has lasted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her first professional job was as an entertainer with Norwegian Cruise Lines, although Hamilton was never far from her thoughts. \u201cI just thought, I have to work my booty off, and I have to be a part of this show some way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia-Toye gives a shout-out to her mentor Karla Puno Garcia, a teacher at Broadway Dance Center. She happened to also work as a swing in Hamilton.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe allowed me, this young kid who had no experience, to dance her choreography and dance alongside her Hamilton castmates. So it was original Hamilton company members \u2026 and me. For no reason, other than the fact that she was just being a beautiful human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
She can recite by heart her mentor\u2019s most important lessons. \u201cOne, always continue to work unbelievably hard if you have a dream that won\u2019t stop knocking on your heart. Two, when you do achieve those big dreams, make sure you turn around, and extend a hand and help the next generation up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through the audition process, she was noticed by the show\u2019s assistant choreographer. \u201cAnd so it just kind of kicked off from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the pandemic, Garcia-Toye returned to her hometown and worked, for several years, as a performer at Walt Disney World. \u201cAnd that taught me so many other things that I just didn\u2019t see coming. And there were so many opportunities, including choreography gigs that landed in my lap. That was a role I never really saw myself in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always trying to figure out how I can be a better as a human in this world and my goodness, Hamilton has given that to me time and time and time again.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo every time my agent calls and says \u2018Hey, Hamilton wants to know if you can \u2026\u2019 I just cut her off: \u2018Yep. Sure, sign me up, let\u2019s go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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