Ellie Cook Believes Musical Theatre is the Best Teacher of the Human Experience - Next on Stage: Dance Edition

We're down to our top 5 contestants in our Next on Stage: Dance Edition competition.

Contestant Ellie Cook shares more about her charity, her dream choreographer to work with, and her face mask side-gig!

Vote for Ellie HERE.

Why did you apply for Next on Stage?

I applied for Next on Stage because my mom showed it to me and intensely encouraged me to enter (yes I did call it pestering on my initial form). It seemed like a really fun opportunity and hey at this point what do I have to lose!

What does musical theatre mean to you?

Wow, that's the big question isn't it. Musical theatre means everything, to me it is the most heightened form of emotional expression. When you cannot speak you sing, when you can't sing you dance. Musical theatre is the best teacher in lessons of the human experience. It has given me the gift of putting my talents forth for something much bigger than myself. And for that I am grateful.

What is a fond theater memory you have?

A fond memory of mine is when I got to play Sally Bowles in Cabaret when I was a Junior in High School. This production was the pivotal moment when I made the decision to put my energy towards musical theatre. Before I was cast in the show I was following a trajectory to pursue ballet professionally. The songs and messages in Cabaret are so profound and showed me the importance of storytelling for social change. The feeling of knowing that the audience will be so impacted by the story is something I never felt with dance alone. What can I say, musical theatre is magic.

What charity did you pick and why?

I chose the Fund for College Auditions. I think that it is so important that everyone who wants to pursue musical theatre has the tools to do so. To know that this money will allow folks who may not have the funds to audition for their dream school is incredible!

Share a memory from seeing a show.

I will never forget when I saw Beetlejuice on Broadway this past February. I didn't know much about the show (I have never seen the movie, yikes I know) I knew that it was closing soon and it was supposed to be amazing but that's all. I was absolutely blown away, no show has ever made me laugh so hard and cry so hard in one act alone.

Who is your dream choreographer to one day work with?

Dear Jerry Mitchell, if you are reading this, I would LOVE to be in one of your shows. I absolutely adore his work, Legally Blonde especially.

What have you been doing during quarantine?

When I'm not in the dance studio I have been sewing like mad. I have made over 1,800 face masks and with the proceeds from those sales I have gotten to donate around $8,500 to various theatre organizations in the Pacific Northwest.

Give a shout out!

I'd like to give a shoutout to my parents Chris and Becky for always supporting me. My friends Jakob, Aubrey, CJ, Bri, and Lizzie for giving me feedback when I send you wild snapchats and texts about my piece of the week. Thank you Kayden for being my choreographer/friend/life coach from afar. Thank you to my mom and Ryan for helping me film (especially when I have to do it ten times in a row). Thank you Candace, Diana, and Virtuosity Performing Arts Studio for lending me the keys and giving me a space to explore and create. Thank you to my college, Central Washington University especially Dr. Terri Brown and Michael Smith. Thank you to everyone who has been voting for me, I love you all so much and could not have done this without you.

Dust off your dancing shoes, because Next on Stage is back with our latest competition sponsored by LaDuca. Following the immense success of our musical theatre singing competition for student performers, we're moving from the recording studio to the dance floor to shine the spotlight on talented, young musical theatre dancers.

Check out all of the contestants HERE!