The Arthropologist
SYTYCD star Neil Haskell talks stuntin' in advance of Bring it On: The Musical'sHobby Center run
Cheerleading rules in Bring It On: The MusicalPhoto by Michael Lamont
Taylor Louderman and company performing in Bring It On: The MusicalPhoto by Craig Schwartz
Neil Haskell, from left, Kate Rockwell, Taylor Louderman and Janet Krupin inBring It On: The MusicalPhoto by Michael Lamont
A scene from Bring It On: The MusicalPhoto by Craig Schwartz
Adrienne Warren and artists in "Do Your Own Thing" from Bring It On: The MusicalPhoto by Craig Schwartz
Yes, it's true, I was a back-up cheerleader in sixth grade for the girls' junior varsity field hockey team. It doesn't get any worse than that. I never even got to shake the pompoms.
But the humiliation left me with an odd fascination for all things "Ra Ra": cheerleading, drill team, color guards, marching bands and the like. There's a tremendous amount of creativity happening on the nation's football fields. It's America's national folk form.
Lucky for me, I landed in Texas, land of high-level cheerleading and birthplace of the drill team. Lucky for you, Theater Under the Stars is presenting Bring it On: The Musical, chock full of cheer candy, at The Hobby Center, Jan. 24 through Feb. 5.
The creative team includes Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Andy Blankenbueler (In the Heights). It's an A-list Broadway team if I've ever seen one.
Haskell has carved a successful post-SYTYCD career for himself, performing in 9 to 5 on Broadway, Alter Boyz off-Broadway, the national tour of West Side Story and two films.
Sure, there's some crossover between cheerleading and dance, however some serious acrobatic skills are required for this show and any decent cheerleading squad. That's where So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 3 second-runner-up and All-Star Alum Neil Haskell comes in.
Haskell, my buffalo brother, was a competitive gymnast before turning to dance. High bar was his specialty. You can bet that upper body strength is coming in pretty handy in his role as Steven in Bring it On, where he gets to throw women in the air. Oh, he catches them too.
"Steven dates the head cheerleader, but then jumps to the next hottest girl, that kind of guy," says Haskell over the phone from Denver, where the show is drawing raves. "He just might get a girl at the end. You will have to come and see."
I first spied Haskell on Broadway in Twyla Tharp's acro-heavy The Times They are A-Changin', where Haskell's comfort flying in the air was in full view. The show bombed, but Haskell went on to TV heartthrob fame.
Week after week, he stunned audiences with his polished technique and effortless back flips. With his princely good looks and the fact that the costume department could never seem to find a shirt for the young lad, he became a dance idol.
Unlike his SYTYCD peers, Haskell has actually carved a post-SYTYCD career for himself, performing in 9 to 5 on Broadway, Alter Boyz off-Broadway, the national tour of West Side Story and two films. "It's such a joy to be on stage," he says. "I enjoy teaching, but I want to perform as long as I can."
Although Haskell has kept his flips in check, Bring it On takes a whole new set of chops.
"Stunting [fancy word for cheer tricks] is completely different than partnering in dance," he says. "The hand holds, the way you lift a girl and the way you catch a girl flying through the air, it was all new to me. I had to learn how to balance someone else in the air. They brought in a cheer consultant for us new to stunting. There are several national champion cheerleaders in the cast. It's a great mix of dancers and cheerleaders."
"It's definitely a physically demanding show," Haskell says. "There's some scary moments, but anytime you seeing a girl falling, there's a guy falling underneath her."
Although audiences may gasp at the height of the flying cheerleaders in the show, Haskell says it's all very safe. "We do a stunt call right before each show and go over all the hand holds," he says. "Each show is unique, and I find ways to push myself. It's definitely a physically demanding show. There's some scary moments, but anytime you seeing a girl falling, there's a guy falling underneath her."
Plus, Haskell gets to show off his regular old dance skills, of which there are many. "There's some great hip hop choreography in the show, too," he adds.
Bring it On: The Musical shares the same cheerleading vibe as the movie, but the similarities stop there. "It's really a separate entity," he says. "The music is awesome, and the whole creative team is so talented."
And now, he sings, too. "I sang in the choir when I was growing up. But I got a vocal coach while I was in New York."
The reaction to the show has been enthusiastic. "In Denver, we had whole cheerleading squads show up. They loved the show. If you love dance, you will love this show. We are flipping girls 25 feet in the air."
As for the "what's next" question, Haskell is not ready to think beyond this show. "It's our hope and our goal to take Bring it On to New York."
Go Team Bring it On!
Let shirtless Neil and America's current favorite dancer Melanie Moore melt your heart:
