BREAKING: Emily Padgett and Matthew Hydzik Set to Lead FLASHDANCE Tour!

Broadway stars Emily Padgett and Matthew Hydzik will star as "Alex" and "Nick" in the world premiere of FLASHDANCE – THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Padgett and Hydzik will be joined on stage by the legendary Rachelle Rak in the role of "Tess." Sergio Trujillo, director and choreographer for the production returned to the home of FLASHDANCE and launch of the world premiere, Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, to announce the lead casting from a press conference. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Kevin McMahon, CEO of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, were also on hand to welcome the cast and creative team to Pittsburgh and to make a proclamation, naming January 1, 2013 as FLASHDANCE DAY. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary,FLASHDANCE kicks off a national tour January 1-6 at Heinz Hall and continues on to more than 20 cities with additional bookings to be announced:

Pittsburgh, PA: Heinz Hall January 1- January 6, 2013
St. Louis, MO: Peabody Opera House January 8 – January 13, 2013
Louisville, KY: Kentucky Center January 15 – January 20, 2013
Grand Rapids, MI: DeVos Hall January 22 – January 27, 2013
Wilmington, DE: DuPont Theater January 29 – February 3, 2013
Atlanta, GA: Fox Theater February 5 – February 10, 2013
Baltimore, MD Hippodrome February 12 – February 17, 2013
Tampa, FL: Straz Center February 19 – February 24,2013
New Orleans, LA: Mahalia Jackson February 26 – March 3, 2013
Fort Lauderdale, FL: Broward Center PAC March 5 – March 17, 2013
Nashville, TN: Tennessee PAC March 19 – March 24, 2013
Minneapolis, MN: Orpheum Theatre April 2 – April 7, 2013
Spokane, WA: INB West PAC April 11 – April 14, 2013
Seattle, WA: Paramount Theatre April 16 – April 21, 2013
Portland, OR: Keller Auditorium April 23 – April 28, 2013
Tempe, AZ: Gammage Auditorium April 30 – May 4, 2013
Costa Mesa, CA: Segerstrom PAC May 7 – May 19, 2013
Houston, TX: Sarofim Hall June 4 – June 15, 2013
San Antonio, TX: Majestic Theatre June 18 – June 23, 2013
Dallas, TX: Music Hall June 25 – July 7, 2013

In addition to the US touring company, a Second Company will be assembled for the creatively reworked production of FLASHDANCE, which will begin performances on Broadway in August 2013 for an open-ended engagement.

With electrifying dance at its core, FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and a bar dancer by night with dreams of one day becoming a professional performer. When romance with her steel mill boss threatens to complicate her ambitions, Alex learns the meaning of love and its power to fuel the pursuit of her dream.

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, the original Paramount Pictures film was a worldwide smash hit that became a pop culture phenomenon, grossing over $150 million and featuring a Grammy Award-winning soundtrack. FLASHDANCE – THE MUSICAL features a score including the hit songs from the movie, all of which became Top Ten hits on the radio around the world including the Academy Award-winning title song "Flashdance – What a Feeling," "Maniac," "Gloria," "Manhunt," "I Love Rock & Roll." In addition to these hits, 16 brand new songs have been written for the stage with music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Robert Cary and Robbie Roth.

Directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis, The Addams Family), FLASHDANCE features a book by Robert Cary and Tom Hedley (co-writer of the original screenplay with Joe Eszterhas),

The national tour of FLASHDANCE is produced by NETworks Presentations LLC, Steven Baruch, Tom Viertel, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Christopher Malcolm, David Ian Productions and Transamerica.