BWW Interviews: Polly Baird Pirouettes Her Way Through PHANTOM as Dance Captain

Not many performers get to serve as the dance captain of a classic musical and perform one of the principal roles in the show. But Polly Baird did just that. The strawberry blonde has played Meg Giry in The Phantom of the Opera, and is now serving as the dance captain in the Broadway production. Ms. Baird was kind enough to answer some questions about Phantom, being a dance captain, and why people love to watch dancing.

How long have you been dancing and do you have favorite choreographers?

I started dancing at 4, although it wasn't until I was 8 that my family and I moved to New York City so that I could study at the School of American Ballet. That was really the beginning of my more serious training. My favorite current choreographers are Gillian Lynne and Susan Stroman. I saw Cats (choreographed by Gillian Lynne) when I was five, which began my love affair with ballet. Crazy for You (choreographed by Susan Stroman) was probably the first theatrical piece I was obsessed with at an older age.

You've already played Meg, which, I'm sure, many dancers would consider a dream role. Do you have any roles you'd like to play?

To perform any of Bob Fosse's choreography would be a DREAM. He was a brilliant, visual artist. As a trained ballet dancer, the minute detail of Fosse's work has always appealed to me. I would also love to do Cats one day. One of my favorite memories in Phantom was on my first day when the wig supervisor asked me why I began to dance. I explained to him it was because I saw the musical Cats at 5 years old, and was obsessed with the white cat. On my opening night in Phantom, I pulled the wig down onto my head and everyone laughed. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized he had put the white cat wig on my head. To be in that show would feel as though I've come full circle.

Why do you think people love to watch dancers?

Dance is an art that requires an unbelievably excessive amount of hard work. What makes it all worthwhile is the ultimate sense of freedom in expression one feels when really dancing. When these things come together, it is magical to watch. Dance and theatre are also a wonderful gift of escapism. No matter the bad day you have had, seeing the little old ladies dance with their walkers in The Producers will put a smile on anyone's face.

This is my first experience being dance captain on a show. It is a great new challenge, one that I am so thankful to have. The job requires me to know what every actor does onstage and off, which is quite a bit of work in shows like Phantom that have large casts (we have 42 people.)

The Phantom of the Opera was recently released for production in high schools. What advice can you give to young performers doing this show?

I think one of the most important aspects of Phantom is to create the various visual pictures that can be explored with the material. It is a dramatic piece, an interesting cross between opera and theatre, one that lives in a state of heightened reality. As far as characters go, it is crucial that the audience have sympathy for the Phantom, otherwise the piece doesn't work.

Pictured: Polly Baird & Rebecca Judd. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.