Dancer Grover Dale teaches Meadows dance students during one of three masterclasses this week in Owens. Dale was a part of the original Broadway cast of West Side Story. (Casey Lee)
In 1953, when Grover Dale was the age of most college freshman, he boarded a bus to New York City in hopes to jump start his dance career. Four years and many auditions later, he finally landed a role as Snowboy in the original Broadway production of West Side Story. Now at age 73, he continues his career in the dance field, only now he’s directing productions of hit musicals and teaching workshops, including three this week to dance majors at SMU.
About 30 dance majors came to the Thursday workshop focused on the audition process. Aside from running through some of the aspects of a professional dance audition, he also asked the students to share their dream career with the group. The rest of the workshop was dedicated to creating a “road map” to accomplish their individual goals.
Dale also gave the group some advice on making it in the dance profession. “Stay open to the good stuff and learn to navigate the bad stuff as best as you can,” says Dale. “Being rejected is natural part of this process.”
Dale says he enjoys working with students because it’s an opportunity to share his experiences in hopes that the students can learn from them. Some of his experiences include CBS’ The Secret Storm, a role as Debbie Reynold’s brother in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and directing the The Magic Show, which was nominated for a Tony Award in 1974.
The students left the workshop satisfied with what they learned. “The workshop was very informative. It helped me open my mind to more options,” says Jamal Jackson, freshman.
“This was a wonderful experience,” says Josh Deininger, sophomore. “This opportunity provided by SMU was one that you couldn’t get just anywhere.”
The dancer, choreographer, director turned teacher isn’t your average 73 year old. Aside from teaching the students a move or two, he also mentioned the dance moves and choreographers of Beyonce and the Pussy Cat Dolls, two names most men his age don’t know.
Dale is currently directing the Lyric Stage production of “West Side Story” featuring the original Jerome Robbins choreography and a 32-piece orchestra. Lyric Stage is Dallas County’s only locally produced, professional musical theater company. The production of West Side Story will run from September 5- 14 at the Irving Arts Center and will also feature SMU junior Koreyci Barreto as one of the Shark girls. “Opportunities to witness an American classic musical supported by a 32-piece orchestra are rare to come by,” says Dale.
