Rasta Thomas, Former Baltimore All-Star Game FanFest Kid Stars in 'Movin' Out'

"It's not as sketchy as I remember", says Rasta Thomas reminiscing about his first return to Baltimore as a performer. It's only a few blocks on Eutaw Street from Oriole Park at Camden Yards to the historic renovated Hippodrome Theatre. But it's taken Thomas 13 years to do the Eutaw Street Shuffle. When he was 12, Thomas was a member of an elite group of talented children selected from 500 who auditioned to be FanFest Kids during the week of major league baseball's 1993 All-Star Game held in Baltimore.

These select performers did about 6 shows a day at the Baltimore Convention Center where the FanFest celebration was held singing and dancing about the game of baseball. One number had them dressed up as umpires in full regalia. They were a very popular part of the week-long homage to baseball. They also performed on the field of Camden Yards during the Home-Run derby and during the 7th inning stretch of the All-Star game itself. They even had the opportunity to meet baseball greats such as Hank Aaron and Cal Ripkin, Jr.

Who knew at the time that three of these FanFest kids would go on to perform on Broadway. Besides Thomas (who began his stint with the road show of "Movin'Out" initially on Broadway"), Eric Anthony (formerly Bates) was seen on Broadway in "Lion King" and "Hairspray" and fellow Carver Center for the Arts & Technology alumnus Britt Shubow can still be seen in the Broadway production of "Mamma Mia" where she is an understudy for the leading role of Sophie.

Thomas admitted in an interview held in the bowels of the spacious Hippodrome Theatre that he really didn't know much about baseball. He was brought up (from the age of 3 to nine years old) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where his dad taught English and served as a physician for the royal family. His first love was soccer.

Thomas has an incredible background in dance. It was evident at an early age he was a prodigy with a flair for the stage. At the tender age of 10, he studied at the world-renowned Kirov Academy in Washington, DC. As a teenager he made dance theater history with honors including the Special Jury Prize from the 1994 Paris International Dance Competition. In 1995 he became a member of Le Jeune Ballet de France. In 1997 he became a Principal with the Hartford Ballet; in 2001 he became the first American to become a member of the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in 2003 became the youngest Principal dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

You may have seemed him perform on the 1999 Academy Award presentation under the aegis of Debbie Allen.

Thomas began his stint with "Movin' Out" on Broadway in January, 2005. Last month he joined the touring production and after the show leaves Baltimore, will be heading to Richmond, VA and then Dayton, Ohio. From July 24- September 3, he'll rejoin the tour for its debut in Japan.

You will be able to catch Thomas in New York City this spring as he will be dancing the leading role in "The Show (Achilles Heels)", a part written for Mikail Baryshnikov by the White Oak Dance Project. Performances will be April 27-29 and May 2-6 at The Kitchen, 512 W. 19th Street. In July, he will be a featured artist in Italy's Spoleto Festival.

He loves performing at the Hippodrome, especially the spacious backstage which all the performers relish. He commented, "The theater has a good aura to it…good vibes…I like the deep reds. In some theaters, the orchestra pit separates the stage from the audience, but here the audience is really close, it plays well."

Thomas plays the role of Eddie who he calls "a real bad-ass" who later finds redemption. He likens the part to doing therapy every night. You can catch Thomas on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night performances as well as the Sunday matinee.

On Friday afternoon I was privy to a thirty minute crash course in military correctness. While sitting in the quiet emptiness of the theater, the male cast stood on the stage (and some were stretching) while they were instructed in the correct way of saluting, marching, standing and how to point a rifle…"always at eye level". How to run with a huge back-pack on your back was discussed. How to stand at "parade rest". It was Basic Training 101. The drill sergeant also spoke of the difficulties veterans face when they return home from an unpopular war and what a difficult adjustment that is. He stated, "One day you're at war…then you come home. How do you explain to a friend that you just stabbed someone in the throat?"

Prior to this, the entire cast had a 90 minute ballet class offered twice a week (one is mandatory). I noticed that one of the more recognizable actors, Keith Roberts was missing. Roberts, who originated the role of "Tony" for which he received a 2003 Tony Award nomination, sustained an injury during the Thursday evening performance and was unable to complete the show. He will more than likely not be unable to perform tonight (March 11) and Sunday matinee, (March 12).Due to the strenuous nature of the show, dancers alternate performances. A full-time physical therapist is on staff and massages are readily available.

Hard to comprehend how Thomas has memorized his hectic and full schedule for the next few years, without even a peak at his Blackberry. If you desire to keep track of his hectic schedule and maybe get the opportunity to see him dance elsewhere, log onto www.rastathomas.com. In his spare time, he enjoys writing songs and dabs at writing screenplays.

"Movin' Out" continues at the Hippodrome Theater, 12 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore, MD until March 19. For tickets, call 410-547-SEAT or online at www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com. Prices range from $31-$76.

Oh...did I mention that you'll love the music by Billy Joel and sung by the incredible Darren Holden. Wish him a Happy St.Patrick's Day since he's a native of County Kilkenny, Ireland. Check out www.darrenholden.com.

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