Maryland's Kamille Upshaw Dances Up a Storm in HAMILTON

The Baltimore School of the Arts has certainly had its share of impressive performers who have gone on to great theatrical achievement. Well, add the name of Kamille Upshaw to this "Honor Roll" who is having the time of her life performing in the gigantic hit musical HAMILTON selling out every night and into 2017 already.

When my wife Lisa had read a story in the Baltimore Sun by Brittany Britto about this local performer from Upper Marlboro, MD, appearing in HAMILTON, I had to interview her, especially in light of the fact we were just about to see it for the second time.

Even on the phone I could tell Upshaw had this infectious personality and love of dance.

It all started when she was 3 and attended a reunion dance performance by her mother who was a dancer at Howard University. She was hooked. Her mother placed her immediately in a community dance class. It was at Pizzaz Studio in Lake Arbor, MD where she truly began to take dance seriously. She studied there for four years. She continued only to dance though she was obsessed with musical theater thanks to CATS and WEST SIDE STORY.

At the age of 9 she studied with the C and C Dance Co. in Bowie where she became friends with Annapolis native Caitlin Kinny. After performing dance at her middle school, her parents gave the OK to audition for the Baltimore School for the Arts. Both her and Kinny attended together. While there she did the annual Nutcracker Suite ballet and was in the first class at BSA to perform the Christmas Spectacular with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during her junior year.

When it came time for college, she was up for anything. She visited Fordham, NYU Tisch Dance Program, and at the suggestion of her BSA dance department head Norma Pera, looked into Julliard. She sat in a dance class which reminded her so much of the BSA. A month later she auditioned. She admitted she was very nervous while dancing a full day. She made it through five different cuts while her parents waited in the lobby. At the end of the day came the interview.

It was about a week later she got the thrilling news she was accepted. She commented, "I was freaking out at school. It was a special day. They select only 24 out of thousands!"

After graduating in 2011, her first professional job was dancing at the Metropolitan Opera in FAUST. She stated, "It was a humbling experience dancing on that huge stage. It ran a month and I got my Union card."

She then joined the Maryland based "The Bad Boys of Dance" and toured all over the world for a year.

What may have been a turning point for her was getting cast in the national tour of FLASHDANCE under acclaimed choreographer, Sergio Trujillo who also has directed ON YOUR FEET. She spent a year and a half on the road and loved it.

After time with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Co. and five months with the Radio City Spring Spectacular, a friend from FLASHDANCE told her about auditions for HAMILTON. Upshaw was a big fan of Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and felt "...this is my chance. I'm going to make this happen."

Upshaw related the company was looking for a "swing" whose job it is to cover all the female ensemble roles which requires one to learn all the different moves, harmonies, and places on the stage. Her first audition was very long. She was invited for a second audition where there were five males and five females.

On her mother's birthday, she got the call she was in. "I couldn't believe it. I was ecstatic. My parents have been so supportive of me and they were so happy. They wanted to me to get something exciting and I did. They've seen it four times."

She spoke highly about Lin-Manual Miranda who did the book, music, lyrics and stars in HAMILTON. "He's been so great, so welcoming. He has an amazing personality and is hilarious. He's genuine and sweet. When you interact with him in the show it's tremendous. He is so welcoming, someone of his caliber, it's a welcoming breath of fresh air."

It was just a couple of days after this interview that my wife and I saw Upshaw on stage. (I left some of Baltimore's famous Berger Cookies backstage for the cast prior to the show.) It was truly a thrill to watch her perform. She was so graceful at times wearing a long gown while doing a waltz. So powerful at other times wearing the clothes of a soldier handling a rifle with precision.

After the show, we finally met backstage and then greeted Miranda on the Richard Rogers stage who spoke so highly of her.

It was a thrilling experience to watch this talented Maryland actress perform in one of the greatest hits in Broadway history. I see a brilliant career in her future.

cgshubow@broadwayworld.com

Photo Credit: Charles Shubow

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