Conversations with Creators: Emmy-Nominated Choreographer Karla Puno Garcia
Conversations with Creators gives insight into the artist mindset of top industry creatives.
By: Miranda Stück Aug. 27, 2024
"I value spontaneity and my initial impulses. They usually are the best ones," says Karla Puno Garcia. "Then I take some time away from it, and when I revisit with fresh eyes, I have a richer perspective." Garcia is an Emmy nominated choreographer and one of Dance Magazine's 2024 "25 to Watch".
As a proud Filipina-American artist, Garcia emphasizes musicality as a story-telling device and unapologetic individuality to create worlds and bring characters to life. In 2023 she was the first woman of color to choreograph the Tony Awards in a year where there was no script and dance opened the show. Her work for the Opening Number and Lifetime Tribute have earned her an Emmy nomination. Garcia has performed on Broadway in Hamilton, West Side Story, Gigi, and Hot Feet; and on the National Tours Wicked and Addams Family. She was seen on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance (season 5), NBC’s Smash (season 2), Annie Live!, Kennedy Center Honors, and more. This past spring, she made her Broadway choreographic debut with Days of Wine and Roses, starring Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'arcy James. In the same season, she choreographed the Off-Broadway show The Connector at MCC Theatre. She was the lead choreographer for Starz's Power Book III: Raising Kanaan season 3, and her work is seen in the Netflix film Tick, Tick ... BOOM! directed by Lin Manuel Miranda.
You’ve made your Broadway choreographic debut with Days of Wine and Roses,
choreographed for the 2023 Tonys Awards, and worked on large scale Netflix film
productions, among many other artistic achievements. How did you originally enter the world of dance?
I trained at a competitive studio in the MD area that produced many performers who went on to dance on Broadway - this was always the goal at a very young age. I also did Traditional Filipino Dancing at the same time. I got my BFA in Dance at NYU Tisch and was exposed to artists from different backgrounds and training, This influenced my choreographic voice immensely.
Was there a single moment or project when you realized that this was your calling?
I always dabbled in choreography when I taught at studios in between performing jobs. When I was in Hamilton for years, I choreographed for all the BCEFA events and was able to spread my wings as a choreographer. In 2017, I choreographed and directed the 2017 piece representing Hamilton at Easter Bonnet. Javier Munoz recited a Langston Hughes poem with "America the Beautiful" threaded into the arrangement as dancers filled the stage. Being able to share meaningful work like this with the Broadway community felt very fulfilling, and I felt incredibly inspired to continue.
How does your culture and roots inform your movement style and artistic voice?
My parents always taught me to excel no matter what I look like. I never saw myself as a minority until I got to college and realized there were no other Filipinos who studied dance. Having the confidence instilled in me to dream big and work hard to reach my personal potential creatively made me quite free to grow as I needed to.
What does your choreographic processes look like in a rehearsal space? Where does your inspiration typically come from, or is it project dependent?
It's definitely project-dependent. Generally, if I have a lot of freedom with idea work, I am quite inspired by the music/sounds/text - How does it make me feel? How does it make me move? This informs how I can develop ideas and in turn vocabulary. If I'm working on a show where there is already a prompt/direction for a number, then that's a different task. I like to sketch out the number structurally making sure it builds in dynamic and narrative. Then, once the large brushstrokes are made, I love to nuance and sprinkle in details. I also really love to work on a short time frame when it comes to developing movement.
When did you realize you would be choreographing for the 2023 Tony Awards? What did the entire experience mean to you as the first Woman of Color to choreograph for the show?
Ariana Debose called me to gauge my interest and wanted to pitch me to the team for the job. I sent her my website, and days later, production was setting me up to work on the Tony Awards. My Dad was actually the one who introduced me to this Awards Show. He was a musician/composer and a large influence on my musical ear and taste. I was 8 years old and beginning to get more serious about my dance training. I didn't really know what Musical Theatre fully was yet. The Tony's were on TV, and he pointed and said "You should watch this. You'd really like it." He's not with us today, but I knew he would be proud to know I choreographed them, let alone was the first Woman of Color to do so.
When do you feel most powerful?
When I am in a room of artists who absorb my movement and send it through their bodies in their own, individual explosive way, I feel invincible! It feels like the best conversation. It's thrilling.
What are you hoping to change or inspire within the dance industry/the world as you
continue to move through it?
I'm excited to continue to be a part of a generation that values high art and humanity at the same time. Being able to run positive energy rooms while achieving high levels of creativity that pushes the boundaries is my ultimate super space.
Photo Credit: Laura Irion, Courtesy of Garcia
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