At This Performance: Paloma Garcia-Lee of Broadway's ON THE TOWN!

BroadwayWorld presents the latest installment of our new feature, 'At This Performance' highlighting the work of some of Broadway's hardest-working actors - understudies and standbys!

Waiting in the wings, these show-savers detail their favorite moments on stage, backstage, and in rehearsal in this new series, offering an inside look at one of the most stressful jobs on the Great White Way.

ON THE TOWN extraordinaire, Paloma Garcia-Lee, who also serves as one of the production's dance captains, proves her worth daily. Garcia-Lee is undoubtedly verstatile, having taken the stage in nearly every female ensemble track - and even a male's. The stage vet's other numerous credits include THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on Broadway and the national tour, where she made her debut at just 17, and NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, lead by Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara. She was also recently featured in Carnegie Hall's star-studded GUYS AND DOLLS concert.

You can find her on Twitter at @PGarciaLee.

How many times have you gone on? We just passed 200 performances and i have been on at least half of those, maybe more. I have been on for all of my 8 tracks and cover between 5-20 times each track.

What was your first time on like? I made my debut in the show- in the busiest dance track - that has a big ballet Pas De Deux during Lonely Town - on the 3rd Preview! And ended up being on for almost that entire week! It was a total whirlwind, I was ready, or as ready as a swing, who didn't do the dance lab, who has been watching the show from the balcony for 2 weeks could be! The cast was incredibly supportive and Stephen Hanna who I did the Pas De Deux with definitely deserves a huge shout out for being such an incredible partner, and support that week. I had never had a rehearsal for the dance and Stephen looked at me before we went out on stage and said 'Don't worry about anything but dancing with me' and that calmed me and centered me so much. Thanks Stephen! As a swing you are almost always thrown in the deep end right away, you are hired and trusted by the creative team to be ready to go, and make it work out there!

What's the most challenging part of being a swing? Being a swing is a really interesting balance of really having to learn the show all on your own. On your own time. During rehearsal you are in the way if you are dancing in the back and since I am also a dance captain I was having to chart the show during the rehearsal process as well so I couldn't just focus on learning one persons track or choreography. I would rent a studio in whatever spare time i had to try and give the choreography a go and figure it out on my own body. We rehearsed upstairs at our theater (what a luxury) and we had two rehearsal rooms, and i would go in the other room while they were working on things so i could dance along with the music. But no one teaches you the show, you just have to watch things, and reverse them, and write everything down, and I would talk steps into my voice recorder on my phone. If you have seen ' On The Town' you can see how much dance there is in the show and how much material that there is to learn. This is NOT a show where everyone is doing the steps just in a different formation. Everyone's choreography is so tailored to their bodies and their strengths. So for me to find how it all works on my body was interesting. Figuring out with each boy how to partner how they like, and how they can grip me how i like was a process. Now it's a total joy. I know all my tracks by heart, I know every track in the show by heart. I have a blast every time I am onstage and feel like i make every track a little bit my own, and the cast is so supportive when i am on and we have little special things we do that are specific to me in tracks and I am never happier than when I am sharing the stage with my cast.

What's your most memorable call-time story? Every swing can talk about the odd debate when a cast member tells you they 'THINK' they can do the show. You never ever want to impose on someone or put in your two cents of what they should do. At the same time you are like, soo..... should I put some makeup on? Should I warm up? Should I do my pin curls? And this was for a track that I would really need to warm up and have a lift call etc, so half hour goes by and I'm just kinda putting some eyeliner on cause it couldn't hurt, then 15 minutes to curtain she decides its best for her not to do the show and be safe and not push it- which was totally the right choice, always listen to your body. But then I was like a speed demon getting ready for the show. Every swing has this story. I have never had to go on mid show yet (and now that I have said that to you i bet it will happen tonight). Because that also the golden rule of swinging, if you tell someone something has never happened it will happen. I have gone on for a boy in the show, I have done split tracks, and who knows what else I'll do!

What's your favorite way to pass the time backstage? A) I'm always on, so what time backstage ;) haha! B) Lets see- on any given night I am seamless ordering dinner, doing a load of laundry, hanging out in the green room with the other swings. (We started with 2 swings and now we have 6 including our vacation swings!) As a dance captain I get out to watch the show from the front of house at least 2/3 times a week, and I'm usually in the wings watching little things here and there, helping problem solve or just reviewing for my own brain. My whole cast can attest to that i love to online shop and mingle a lot of the show so I guess I do a lot of everything when i am not on. You find hobbies and your own ways to keep yourself busy. For the first few months i was charting the show, trailing my tracks i cover and even the boys, making my track sheets and making sure I knew the show inside and out. Now almost 7 months in i can relax a little bit and find a balance or work and play! (As I'm writing this, I am sitting with my fellow 4 other swings and we just ordered domino's pizza!!) We started this show with one male and one female swing and now we have 4 male swings (that's including the vacation swings) and 2 female swings.

Swings are some of the hardest workers on Broadway and are some of the most talented people i have ever met. I am proud to be a part of the swing family! Go Swings!