Sergio Trujillo exudes joy. He practically bounces onto the dance floor of Hudson Terrace and chooses to perch on an end table, rather than sit beside me on the couch, so we can chat face to face about his recent nomination for his work in the Gloria Estefan bio-musical On Your Feet! The choreographer of such hits as Jersey Boys, Off-Broadway鈥檚 All Shook Up, Memphis and more seems to still be in awe that he was tapped to create the dance for this iconic Latino story. The show pulses with Trujillo鈥檚 boundless energy in its fast footwork, intricate partnering and contagious verve. The Colombian native describes his experience working on a show that鈥檚 in his bones, collaborating with the Estefans and creating authenticity through movement.
What was your approach to On Your Feet!? What did you want to accomplish with the dance in this show?
ST: Well, first and foremost, I couldn鈥檛 have asked for a more fitting more perfect project to come at this point in my life. Having been here for almost ten years, starting with Jersey Boys and a bunch of other shows in between, to then get a chance to choreograph something that is so close to me, something that is so close to me to my heritage to my culture and to who I am. I look back and I think I have to pinch myself. To choreograph this show I didn鈥檛 have to dig in very deep [for the steps], but what I did have to do was really get in touch with the essence of who I am. I mean Memphis and All Shook Up, they鈥檙e America in the 鈥�50s at the most vibrant most colorful most sort of bountiful, bounciful, bouncy period of America and very American. For me to do something that I can actually put my stamp on it, that I can actually throw the history of my culture into it it鈥檚 just beautiful.
Is there any number in particular from the show that you were most looking forward to working on or now you look at it and say of the pieces in this show that鈥檚 the one鈥擨 really keyed into it there?
ST: Actually two pieces, if I may. One is 鈥淭radici贸n.鈥� It鈥檚 a song from one of Gloria鈥檚 albums called Mi Tierra, which is her only real Latin album. The other one is 鈥淲rapped,鈥� which to me was the most haunting; it was the number that I wasn鈥檛 sure how to approach it. I wasn鈥檛 sure what was my gateway into that number. What is the narrative of that number? That鈥檚 when she鈥檚 having the anesthetic dream when she鈥檚 going through surgery. I called Gloria and she said, 鈥淚 wrote that song while we were on the road, and I had been traveling so much, and we just missed our loved ones so much and that came out.鈥� So in the number, Gloria dreams of seeing her grandmother who鈥檚 passed away, her father who鈥檚 passed away. She also has a moment with her younger self, and鈥攚ithin this anesthetic dream鈥攖here is that idea that she may go to the dark side. She may be pulled. But then what happens in the middle of it is when Emilio appears, and it鈥檚 the love for him and their young son, it reawakens her, and it pulls her the other way to life to love to family.
What was it like to work with Gloria? She鈥檚 a dancer herself. Did she have input?
ST: Gloria, what a phenomenal collaborator. She was very respectful of myself and [director] Jerry Mitchell. Both Emilio and Gloria were incredibly collaborative and their input, their knowledge was such help. I took liberties like I did with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The important thing is: We鈥檙e doing a musical, we have to adapt it. I grew up dancing, listening, watching Gloria鈥攙ideos and music鈥攕o I knew subconsciously how she moved and how she performed, but you know we鈥檙e on a Broadway stage and that character has to occupy a different kind of framework. So I took liberties within the show to exptrapolate: If Sergio Trujillo was choreographing Gloria Estefan, that鈥檚 what he would do.
What was it like to work with Ana Villafa帽e who is new to Broadway?
ST: She鈥檚 been really a joy to work with. With Ana, I embraced the idea of having this young, gorgeous talented actress. I embraced the idea of molding her and molding her choreographically and helping her become Gloria Estefan. That鈥檚 the joy of what I get to do in these kinds of shows where I have an icon like Gloria Estefan and then I have Ana Villafa帽e that needs to become Gloria Estefan for the adaptation.
You also have these incredible dancers in your chorus who can tap into that authenticity not just in the choreography but in their heritage, I imagine.
ST: When we began to cast the show it was important for me to have authenticity across the board. There is an essence to the way each one of my dancers dances. I can tell within the first two counts of eight that they have it or they don鈥檛. There is a thing: Boom Ba! I know immediately when I watch at an audition. Even before we began the casting process, I had in my mind who I wanted because I wanted to create a company of Latino dancers who also knew the responsibility that they had because listen we don鈥檛 get that many chances of telling a Latino story onstage.
How would you define鈥攖hrough all of these projects鈥攜our style choreographically?
ST: I like to call myself a chameleon of sorts because what I try to do is: I really push myself to find a vocabulary that is specific to the show and the way those characters move, so I try not to use the same steps over and over again. I feel like each one of these pieces is so completely different. As I said, Jersey Boys, Memphis, Guys & Dolls, Addams Family, Leap of Faith and On Your Feet! or even Bronx Tale, which is coming up. I just don鈥檛 think that it would be me鈥攎y integrity as an artist鈥攚ould allow me to say, 鈥淥h yeah so I鈥檓 gonna do X.鈥� For me, I approach it from a character point of view also from a storytelling point of view, a genre of music, period; it has to evoke all of those things. I don鈥檛 think I could do that over and over again.
Has your family come to see the show? Is that different than seeing other pieces of your work?
ST: I have many dreams and goals in my life and one of my dreams and goals was to bring my entire family to New York City and invite them to the opening night of one of my shows, but specifically a Latin show. So I did that November 5 of last year when On Your Feet! opened. Some of them had never seen a Broadway show. My husband said on opening night, 鈥淵our family鈥檚 up on that stage.鈥�
Ruthie Fierberg is the Features Editor at 半岛体育.com. She has also written for Backstage, Parents and American Baby. See more at and follow her on Twitter at .
