May 02, 2012

Dancer comes out of his shell in Cage


'Shy' guy learns to love heels, makeup

By, Elissa Barnard – Arts Reporter @ The ChronicleHerald
La Cage aux Folles has brought Manitoban Erik Markewich east for his first time.

The 19-year-old dancer makes his debut at Neptune Theatre in a black wig, a dress and heels and, as Hanna, he’s holding a whip.

Hanna cracks it to snap the other five Cagelle dancers into line at a Saint-Tropez nightclub in the Broadway hit. She also has a fling with the stage manager (Cliff LeJeune).

“I’m more the shy type of guy in normal life,” says Markewich, who is the “baby” in the cast.

“To put on the heels and makeup and to be a woman it’s been challenging. I feel I’m getting into Hanna’s heels.”

However, “it’s always great to be someone completely different.”

The dancing is difficult.

“The Cagelles are mostly in Act 1 and it’s very high energy, a lot of endurance. We’re out of breath every number and the flexibility, you need it, especially with the can-can, you have to kick to the gods.”

Markewich, in his third professional production, was initially worried about audience reaction to men dressed as women.

“I’ve been surprised,” he says. “The audiences absolutely love the show.

“It takes a while to warm up if you haven’t seen men in heels but, along with the other story, the audience warms up to it and they leap to their feet. It doesn’t feel as intimidating to walk out in heels and have everyone staring at you.”

Markewich saw La Cage aux Folles on Broadway with Kelsey Grammar.

“I fell in love with it and when I heard Neptune was doing it I thought, ‘I have to do this show!’

“The dancing is phenomenal and I heard many good things about choreographer Mike Jackson. I knew he’d be able to pull off something remarkable with his choreography and he has.”

Markewich grew up in Brandon, Man. He started dancing at the age of nine when a friend brought him to the bring-a-friend day at his dance studio.

“I got hooked,” he says. “I started in jazz and tap and I fell into the ballet world around 10 or 11. I trained for Grade 8 at the National Ballet School in Toronto and I came home for grades 9 to 12. I’ve been dancing for 10 years now and I’ve never stopped.”

He appeared in Cats and Hairspray at the Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg last summer. In October, he moved to Toronto.

“Auditions were kind of slow in Toronto until January when this was on. I felt everything was falling into place.

“I had heard of this theatre through word of mouth and friends. I knew it had a big name and I was excited to come. I think it’s very professional, a loving team. I don’t feel astray.”

Since this is his first time in Nova Scotia, he and his parents will do the “touristy stuff” when they come to see him on stage at the end of the month.

Markewich is happy to leave the ballet world for the world of musical theatre.

"It's not easier," he says. "It's more rewarding for me. I feel there is a lot more fun to be had in musical theatre.

“The enjoyment I have being on stage and the reaction I get, . . . in the ballet world they don’t have those reactions. I love going to the ballet but it’s not the same experience. With musical theatre I can feel the audience, I can see the audience.”

Markewich, going to Winnipeg in July to do Annie at the Rainbow Stage, has studied ballet and theatre dance for two summers on Long Island.

“I love New York. I will go very soon just to take it all in again. I miss it.”

His ideal job is to work in musical theatre in New York and he’d love to be in the musicals Chicago and Cats again.

“I’m dancing my heart out and I will do any show that comes my way,” he says. “Broadway is absolutely my end dream.”
Republished from thechronicleherald.ca on May 2, 2012

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