Interview: Chicago Native Amaris Sanchez Sings and Dances Her Way Through ON YOUR FEET!

Is this your first time performing on tour? What has the experience been like so far?
It feels amazing. It's my first time being on a national tour. It's awesome to get on stage as a 12-year-old and sing and dance as Gloria Estefan. I sometimes really don't believe it. I hope the kids that watch get inspired and that if they have a dream that they go towards it reach for the stars.

How do you feel about coming home to Chicago to perform? What are you most excited to do when you're back?
I'm so excited to be home. I'll be staying at home. I have so many people coming to support me and love me. The cast is very excited to be in my hometown. It's going to be so awesome. I believe Gloria [Estefan herself] is going to be there, and I'm so excited to be there for my last show.

What are some of your favorite moments in ON YOUR FEET?
My favorite moment is my first scene. It has so much joy and love and a lot of culture and lights and color. It has so much dancing and singing. It shows a lot of the culture and a lot of the joy and what happens when we come together and dream what we want to dream.

What is your favorite song from the show, and why?
My favorite song from the show is "Cuando Salí De Cuba." That is the first, first song I sing. It means a lot to me because that's one of the songs Gloria sings to her father while she was in Cuba. and he was out being a police officer. It means a lot because they really didn't see each other, but singing was their connection of being together and knowing that they still love each other. There's still a connection no matter what. That song really brings the connection.

What do you like to do on your days off on tour?
Usually we travel on Monday. It's kind of like our day off but we get to the city, and we can relax and go look around. But if we have like a golden day [a day off without travel], we usually rest or we go sightseeing and explore what's in the city. If I have auditions, I'll do some auditions. I usually always practice on my guitar, watch movies with my mom, or hang out with the kids.

What do you enjoy most about performing in ON YOUR FEET?
I love the audiences. The audiences really bring it all. We have energetic, we have calm. We have so many different types of audiences, and it really brings the feel to the show. If there's such an energetic crowd, the show gets even better. It's awesome when we have the crowd there.

How do you prepare for every performance and get your energy going?
We do a thing called circle. It's a circle where we do a prayer, and we all do a prayer together. We jump around and give each other hugs. We have to make sure we stretch. Sometimes we have a dance off with the band. Circle is one of our best things because we make sure God is with us and protecting us and we're all good in the theater.

What would you tell your friends about why they should come see ON YOUR FEET?
It is honestly the best show ever. There's so many lights. There's so much dancing. We have interactional scenes where the cast comes out to you and you can dance. Just the story. The beautiful story. It really touches every single person in the theater that watches, whether you're a kid or an adult.

See Amaris take the stage as Little Gloria in ON YOUR FEET! from March 21 - April 8 at Broadway In Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. Visit BroadwayInChicago.com for tickets and more information.

To post a comment, you must register and login.