Alumnus dances in touring production of ‘Mamma Mia!’
By Erin Baethge
Skiff Staff

When he was three years old, Andrew Parkhurst went to see a stage performance of “The Wizard of Oz.” That’s where Parkhurst’s determination to be a dancer began.

“Most people can go to a show and just enjoy it. I enjoyed it, but I had a craving to be in it,” Parkhurst said.

Parkhurst, who graduated from TCU with a bachelor’s degree in modern dance in 1993, is currently touring with “Mamma Mia!” as the show’s dance captain.

The show’s U.S. tour, which began in January 2002, is making its 39th stop in Fort Worth. Performances continue at the Bass Hall until Sunday. Parkhurst is an original cast member, but has only been recently promoted to dance captain.

“There are two main parts of the dance captain,” Parkhurst said. “The dance captain is responsible for maintaining the physical integrity of the show and for teaching the show to new cast members.”

Other than being finely tuned to every dance movement in the show, Parkhurst also works as a swing.

“A swing is someone who covers the ensemble,” Parkhurst said. “I cover seven men in the ensemble and one principal.”

Dance is a form of communication and the body can physically convey any emotion, he said.

“In the best musical theater, dance is a device that furthers the plot and lets the characters express themselves emotionally in a way they would not be able to with spoken dialogue or with song,” he said.

Parkhurst came to TCU in 1990 to study modern, ballet, acting and voice.

While studying at TCU, Parkhurst said he was most influenced by Susan Douglas Roberts, a modern dance professor, and by Li-Chou Cheng, a ballet master in residence at TCU.

Cheng said he originally did not have a lot of confidence in Parkhurst when he asked him to be in his 1991 contemporary ballet piece, because Parkhurst was a modern major.

“He really surprised me and worked really hard at lifting,” Cheng said. “My confidence grew and I respected him more and more, not just as a student, but man-to-man.”

After graduation, Parkhurst headed for New York City, where he struggled to survive and keep up the energy to audition. He said what separates the dancers who make it in New York City from the dancers who do not is ambition and confidence.

“For every person who is in a Broadway show, there are hundreds of talented people who are not,” Parkhurst said. “You have to believe that you are entitled to it. It’s not a cocky thing; it’s a survival thing. You have to see no roadblocks.”

Susan Douglas Roberts, one of Parkhurst’s TCU dance professors, said she is not surprised to see Parkhurst in a Broadway show.

“He can handle most any given situation with clarity and integrity,” Roberts said. “Both his successes and his disappointments.”

The “Mamma Mia!” tour is scheduled through 2006. After that, Parkhurst said, he wants to start doing more teaching and choreographing.

“I love to teach,” he said. “Being a dance captain is a great segue into that because I am a member of management now and I’m not just a performer. This should be a good link.”