Video: DANCIN's Tony d'Alelio & Krystal Mackie Are On the Rise!

Hello, beautiful people, and welcome to another episode of On the Rise with Candace Cordelia, a Broadway world production

I am so, so, so jazz to introduce you not one but two very special guests from dancing, currently on Broadway

We have Tony DeLelio and Crystal Mackey, two of the wonderful stars of the Broadway production

How are you both? I'm fantastic, you know? I mean, it's a, yeah, life is good

I totally get it. I'm so glad that you're feeling well, both of you

It's a beautiful day today. And congratulations for starring on Bob Fossy's Dancing

I saw the production. It is wonderful. It's so much energy, so much joy

All of us were just dancing in our seats while you all are dancing on stage

So thank you for your gifts and stuff. talents, you know, what is it like for you both being a part of, this is the first ever revival

I understand, of dancing on Broadway in New York City. What's that experience been like for you both

Go for it, Tony. I mean, it's been a whirlwind, you know, one minute you're dancing with your

friends and then you step outside and you get to meet these legendary dancers who touch this

material and you're immediately reminded that we're carrying on. you know this legacy because choreography and dance is something that exists in the moment

It exists in person. And, you know, I love digging on the internet for videos, but to be a part of the actual thing in person

and sharing it with new generations, people who saw it back then, people who were a part

of it back then. It's incredible. Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I'm offstage, so I get to watch

a lot. And then when it's time to go on, I go on. So that's pretty cool and just being able to

watch my fellow castmates do the thing every night and be able to step in when needed is

not only is it inspiring, but it just makes me want to be better. And it's great. It's fun. It's hard

which is also the best part about it is that it's something that is challenging. And you have to be on

you know, all your piece and keys and keys and toes. every night for any given moment. So it's fun. I love it. And you know, I've always personally

been in awe of dancers. I've done dancing in my school years and middle school and high school

from African Caribbean dance to modern dance. But I always just held a respect for dancer because

what you do, it's, I mentioned the word hard. It's very grueling. There's a lot of energy involved

a lot of stamina. And you have to be very disciplined. I'll start with you, Crystal. What's the

that preparation like being a dancer and a performer, singing involved as well, acting

all of it, you know, what's your day to day, especially when you're prepping for dancing

My day to day is different day to day. Like today, I am actually about to have a rehearsal

So I'm after this, I'm running to rehearsal. And then in between our rehearsal and time and

start a show, I'm going to go work out, actually. I do a lot of berries and, like

like Pilates and stuff like that, to stay ready to cross-train. This show is very physically demanding

And for someone who doesn't do it every night, I found that it's best for me to stay ready and do things that still fire up the

muscles that I would be using at night if I was on. So that when I do go on, it's not like, it's going to already be a shock to the body

but it's not a complete shock. But yeah, sometimes it's working out

Sometimes it's resting and literally just sitting on the couch when I can to just like decompress and just like stop and give my body some time to like chill out

But it involves taking it day by day, lots of water, lots of protein shakes

And always like I woke when I wake up in the morning, I always try to warm up my voice just just to stay ready

I think my job with this show is to stay ready at any given moment

So sometimes that just means warming up. Sometimes that means cross-training. Sometimes that means just going over a track during the day or at night when I'm not on

to just make sure my brain is still firing and the tracks are still up there somehow

But yeah, it's a day-by-day thing and sometimes it's more physically demanding and sometimes it's rest

I'll throw that question to you as well. Tony. Yeah. Wow, Crystal. I love to stay ready. Stay ready. We have such a dream team of

six people who stand by ready to jump in and they, the team found these six people. I just need to

like give it up to y'all for a second because you all, all of your talents spread and reach so

far that they can jump into, what is it, five different people each. It's incredible and each different

track in the show does something so unique to that specific actor's skill set. So, gosh

kudos. What it looks like for me, I do the same show eight times a week every day. So I sing

crunchy granola at the top of the show, which is super high. So as soon as I wake up, I'm immediately

assessing where my voice is at that day and what I need to do in order to make that sound come out

safely. And the same goes for the body. It's you start the day by head to toe assessing where

is sore, where it needs more love, what needs physical therapy, what needs the tender love and care

so that you can get on stage. And if by show time, let's say, for example, like my neck has been

really bothering me and it's still really tight, okay, what can I do in my performance to craft something

that honors the material that is exciting for the audience and that is safe for my person

And so it really is a balance of meeting these expectations. And it's a balance and it looks different every day

I think if I was a younger version of myself doing this show, I think would have a difficult

time letting go of keeping things feeling the same. But because it is so demanding, you have to listen to the body and the mind

mind. You know, and of course, there's just so much care that goes before the show and after

I like to call our time at the music box theater playtime. And the job really is the warm up

and assessing and then the cool down afterwards. And none of us feel guilty about laying on the

couch. I'll say that. I love that you mentioned that, especially the demand of it all

And you're giving kudos to Crystal. And I noticed that, and I saw this in a performance

as well, there was a certain amount of trust. It seems like everyone is in sync with one another, as you would hope they would be in order to make the show go smoothly and to give off the performances every night that you need to. But I love the rapport that you both have with each other right now. And I definitely want to ask about once again that trust factor. You know, how is it when you're in, when you're preparing and you're in rehearsals getting in sync with each other? How does that exactly work? Is it something that it clicked automatically? Or how? How does that exactly work? Is it something that it clicked automatically? Or how

How long does it actually take in order to make sure you crusting of each other because it a schooling job as you both know Hmm I was going to see

I mean, it definitely takes time. You know, it's something that is, like, built upon

I think the favorite thing about our company is we have the physical trust, but there's

also such a psychological trust there that we can just read what each other needs and we're

really great about checking in with each other. I don't know if you wanted to, like, add on to that, Crystal

Yeah, I was going to say we, I think for me, what helped was that this wasn't just like

oh, we're starting a Broadway show and we were meeting for the first time when we started this round. Like, we did the out-of-town tryouts

There was a workshop that happened. I wasn't a part of that workshop, but like the family started joining and getting to

know each other and trusting each other well before we got to Broadway. And so when we got here to do this thing, like we didn't even have to worry about the trust factor and like, are we safe in this space

That was already created. And so when I joined for the out of town in San Diego, the environment that was already created, I just like jumped right in quite figuratively and really

But the joy and the relationship and the family aspect and the trusting aspect was already there

And it was already so well developed that it wasn't hard for me to feel that and then trust the people that were there

And so then when we added a few more understudies, this go around for the Broadway run, I could imagine that they would feel the same

It was already there. And it does make the job so much easier

what we are doing eight times a week is really, really hard

And some of the things that we are doing at night, if we didn't trust each other

I don't think would happen in a safely matter. And so that definitely does, I believe, make the job easier

It takes off, like, the pressure of a lot of things. Like the trust is there

The family aspect is there. And, you know, it just makes it easy. Well, let's talk about the before Broadway aspect for you both

Tony, I'll start that off with you. I noticed in your biography you mentioned a thank you to your mom for teaching you how to dance

Do you mind expanding on that and how that journey for you as a dancer began at home

Oh, thank you for asking that. I always danced around the house as long as I heard music play

I just knew to move my body. 登録 in musical theater. She did stuff in D.C

And so there are these VHS tapes of her doing shows. So I saw it like this person I love the most was doing this thing I love the most

So it always seemed possible for me to do how I got there was, you know, I learned over the years, obviously

But I remember the first like dance step I learned. She was doing her makeup

I was probably like seven or eight years old. and she was like, oh, it's a ball changed

And I just didn't understand why, and she taught me. It's called a ball change because you put the weight in the ball of your foot

and you change your weight. And so that was the first time that I realized that there's a language for this thing that I love

and then learning what counts are and reading music at the piano

You can also do that in communicating choreography. So that planted a lot of seats for me

I've been hooked ever since. That's such a lovely story. What does your mom think about your career right now

and just the trajectory that you've had since that time when you were a little kid

I mean, she's just, she's so proud of me and it's just like bursting and like honestly

doesn't have words after dancing. She got back home to Maryland and she just called me saying

I can't stop crying because it actually just hit me what just happened because, you know, you see your kid

you see this person do the thing. And I'm, I've just been dancing my whole life

And suddenly it's on a different stage surrounded by all these like new fancy, glamorous things

And to us, it's still the same thing. It's still that same thing that I've been doing since my first dance recital or since my first Nutcracker

It just happens to be on 45th Street. It just happened to be doing material that she showed me, you know, watching movies

So it's, I don't know, it's cool when you have this through line of working hard and dancing

and the opportunities around that continue to expand. It's, it definitely has taken her and myself some time to process, you know

Wow. Thank you for sharing. And so for you, I mean, you're from New York City

You went to the famous LaGuardia High School. And now you're realizing your dreams on Broadway, especially in your Broadway debut, as this is also Tony's debut

In dancing, what is that like for you to be able to go from LaGuardia to the big stage of Broadway

It is something that I think I still am trying to wrap my head around

I have moments where I'm like, oh, I think I've wrapped my mind. head around it and then it's like something else that will like trigger it and be like oh no I

haven't actually like really fully discovered what this means um it it is a dream come true

I mean I remember walking up and down time like I literally went to school like 20 blocks away from

there so I remember like I remember going to the city I remember um you know going to see Lion

King I remember seeing these big like lights and like all this stuff and just being like okay

cool like people aren't moving out the way got to go just all of that and so I think to like in

new york city we are like go go go go go go go go go go go and so to finally like be at a place be at a show

that is on 45th street I'm going to the same location every day it is something that I'm still like

like I said trying to wrap my head around um but it is it's a little surreal like I still am not

believing that this is real. And, you know, when I debuted, my whole family came

and that was something that I tried to relive a lot. A dear friend of mine told me the night of my debut when I got home

she was like, press recorder on your phone and, like, journal, like, how you are feeling

Like, say how you're feeling. Stay what, like, what you felt, document it all

matter if it's 30 minutes long, like just document it. And I literally, from the moment I started

I just started crying, crying, crying, crying, crying, crying, crying. And I actually rewatched the video

like two weeks ago. And I still feel the same way. Like, it is something that I haven't put words to

yet, but I am happy. I am proud of myself. It feels like all of the hard work has finally like

paid off and it's still paying off. And then there's still more work to be done

Like it is, it's like an ever like flow of a cycle

But I'm excited, it's fun. It really cool to do something at home for all of my friends and family to see Like being on tour it was cool because like people would be like oh I performing at my hometown

Like, this is fun. And I'm like, oh, I'm performing at my hometown

And it just so happens to be New York. So it's quite exciting

I mean, it's really, I still don't have the words. But I'm very happy and I am very excited

And I'm excited to see where this goes. And just, you know, I always say don't let anyone feel your joy

And I'm very happy and joyful to be here and a part of this show on Broadway at home

Like, it's fun. That's cool. Thank you for that response as well

And you mentioned being excited and joyful and happy. And that is showing in this production of dancing

For both of you, I would love to know what your favorite, if you have any personal favorite numbers or songs or anyone that stands out to you that you're like

I love this. This is the one that I really love performing for it. Yeah. I, I mean, for me, I want to say sing, sing, sing

but I feel like in my journey, sing, sing, sing, sing is like the match is like set for part two. And my show

really does build up to the end of the musical where we do the big deal section. And I dance

me daddy with Nondo. And what I love about it is it stretches myself, like, as an athlete, it's

very, it's long and tedious, also as a technical dancer. But it really is a scene. And that's what

Wayne encouraged us to approach it as is it's a conversation back and forth with each other. So

like, it's satisfying as an acting perspective. But what makes it my favorite is at the, it's at the

end of the show and the entire company is together and you, I don't know if you can hear in the

house, but people are yelling and like just, it's that final push. We do these like football runs

at the very end. And it's almost, it's just like a, it's like a victory lap is what it feels like

that we're all together. So I get this beautiful hybrid of like, I get to have my moment and be

this like dancing actor dude feeling like Fred Astaire into, you know

all of us snap together. It's amazing. And I feel like the luckiest guy to dance for Corey Petnod

in that corner. Um, sometimes Afra, sometimes Crystal, but it's, it's the best view

Love that. Yeah. Um, Fred Astaire, Tony, you mentioned, do you have any favorite, any other favorite dancer or any

other dancers? Yeah. I mean, right now, Periscopal, to me, is really capturing this like human

element that we need to seek this dance a lot on the commercial level is very like sterile and

clean, so to speak. And Periscopal's work is, it comes from something else. It comes from the

spirit. And I love the dancers that she hires. It's definitely like at the top of my list

And also artists like Normani, I love like a dancer like her who also produces her own music

Yeah, I'm obsessed with them right now. Great pick. I'll ask you that same question, Crystal, but I definitely want to hear your response to the previous question as well

Yeah. I feel like my favorite number changes every day. I will say

And I'm sure like a lot of people. people say this, but sing, sing, I, it is, it is so fun doing, but I, like, I've watched this show

like a million times now. Like I feel like I watched it a million times. But I, I make myself

throughout the week, especially if I'm not on, I try to watch from the house once a week

And then I'll try to do a track once, once somewhere in the week, once a week, just in, like

the room that we have. And, I will, like, I can never get tired of watching Sing, Sing, Sing

Like, it is the energy that I get. Like, I'm sometimes screaming, and I've seen this, I know what's coming next

I know the steps. These fabulous, like, 16 people are doing the thing every night

Like, it is incredible. And I'm still screaming. I'm like, yeah. Like, it is a fire

Like, my legs start shaking. Like, it's a fire that will, like, constantly, like, it's something about, it's the way it was done

It's the way they're doing it. It's those drums. It's the, like, the musicians are incredible

Like, it is something that I can literally, like, watch and literally want to jump out my feet every day

So that, I guess, is a consistent favorite. But I also, I love, I really love gotcha, the gotcha moment and Big City Mind

That's really fun to do both as Yanni and Carly. it stretches me like I'm a dancer first but the acting and singing came a little later

and so when I get to do the things that I am afraid of but also challenge me I really enjoyed doing that

so like the gotcha moment and singing let it ride and singing cherries like moments like that

that I'm like literally shaking because I'm like I'm not used to doing this is also a favorite moment

of mine because I can feel myself like tingling and I know I know that I'm hitting the point where I'm

being challenged and like surpassing that. So I enjoy that. And then my favorite artist, I always say

and I feel like everyone in the cast knows this, that it is Beyonce and I love her and I

I'm laughing because I just watched Swarm on Amazon. Wow. It's about like beehive and like we're crazy fans

But I truly do love Beyonce. I respect her like work ethic and the production team and just like every aspect that

goes into her productions that she produces. I do enjoy and respect

I also, I mean, I could watch Desmond Richardson dance all day, every day, any day

It is, it's unbelievable. But also, like, there's people in the cast that I can, like, Peter Churzen, I can watch every day

Like, perfection every day. It's quite beautiful. Like, everyone in this cast is a favorite

of mine just to watch and do this craft that they do eight times a week. That is, guys

it's hard. It's really hard. And what, like, what they are doing on that stage every night is

it's perfection. So, yeah. Perfection. Indeed. And I love that you mentioned Swarm because I, I

I binged it in one night. I was coming back. I was in New York at the time, too, with a friend

And then we got back to their place. And I was like, oh, Swarm came out

And we literally watched it from, I think it was midnight until three in the morning

Just went. And I haven't been like that in a long time

And I was- I'm not that crazy, but I do. We were like, you know what

Let's just keep going. Let just because it was so engrossing It was I a big horror movie person television all of it And I just I cannot stop watching it It was it was unreal

So I love that you mention that because that's a real. I, I wondered how the beehive, how everyone in the beehive must think about

I'm not crazy like that. But I do love Beyonce, but I'm not that crazy

This is a lot. This is a lot. I love it. It was a lot

A fandom. I would also love to know from the two of you

what your favorite dance movies are. Oh. I love the sweet charity film

is that Bob directed and choreographed is beautiful. Also, The Wiz. That is a movie I could watch monthly

Honestly. It's, there are, dancing those are like top off my head center stage you know the scene where the ballerina

goes to what is like Broadway dance center and priscilla lopez of who is in a course line

famously says dance the shit out of it and that energy is alive and well uh at bob bossy's dancing

yeah what about you like i was going to say center stage

too because it's like I feel like it's a movie that I feel every dancer has watched and it

came at a certain point in their training in life that they've watched this movie and when it

comes on I get really excited and I'm just like oh it's under stage is on so definitely set a stage

also the whiz like I definitely co-sign that that end scene like brand new day they are dance like

they are dancing they are up on on top of the stuff and like bot my like they are

are living their lives. I definitely have moved, like, the coffee table in my living room and, like, learned it

And me and my sisters were definitely doing, like, oh, it's real

Like, the Wiz is definitely, it's up there. Yeah. Phenomenal pick. Center stage is my favorite

As someone who's a non-dancer, yeah, center stage has always been my favorite

And fame as well, like, but I always equate fame to more of, like, the triple threat, I guess

just, but yeah, they're on page and Black Swan as well. I know Black Swan is very dark

but it's as one of my personal favorites as well. So very cool. Yeah. It's a dark film

Black Swan. Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. But it's for me, I don't know what it is. I love ballet films

and I love the psychological aspect of the dance movies as well. What goes into being a dancer

And there's a lot that people don't know unless you just talk to other dancers and

see it for yourself. But yeah, that's just my personal feeling about that. But great, great

picks, you know. So last question for you both Tony and Crystal. Why should people run

dance, walk, hop, go see dancing on Broadway? I think in a time where people are wanting

inspiration, seeking joy, needing a reminder of togetherness that people can and do come together

to uplift each other. Come see dancing. I've had friends who are so shy about dancing and moving

in front of people that we went out after for drinks and this man could not stop moving

So that's why you should come. Get that spark. I agree. I think. I think

think that it's a it's two hours of you get to escape. There's no storyline so you don't have

to feel the pressure of like wait do I need it like is something going on am I missing something like

you don't have to overthink you literally can just feel like you feel the music that also the

sound is incredible in the show so like you feel the music you can't like you feel that that bass

that drum and then you get to see like incredible. incredible people, like, literally dating the shit out of this stuff

Like, it's, you, like, you can't help but to just move after

I, it's funny because I've had people come see the show and all they do at the end of, like

I'm like, oh my God, how did you, like, did you enjoy it? They're constantly just, like, mimicking, like, the crescent jumps and sing, sing, sing

People, like, it's a fun evening. You get to escape. You get to, like, just watch the incredible

like 16 performers on stage at night, 22 overall, like you get to watch the magic that Fossey has created

And then that Wayne and Corinne has created on us. And you get to watch it and just go away and be like

okay, I'm going to attempt to do that. Some way, somehow, whatever age, whatever your bones are feeling like

like you still, everyone can dance, whether it's sitting down. Like everyone can dance

getting to see dancing and then going home and being like, oh, how can I be inspired by that

And how can I move my body in my way? I think is the reason you should definitely come see it

It's fun. It is a blast. It is so much fun. And I also love the fact that you said, everyone can dance because I just called myself a non-dancer

And I'm like, you know what? No, I can dance. Everyone can dance professional or not

If you have rhythm and you're moving, you can dance. So 1,000 percent

Thank you. so very much. It's an honor and a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations. And I look forward to

seeing where life takes you and to see more of your dancing on the Broadway stage and beyond

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Very welcome. And thank you all for watching this episode

of On the Rise with Candace Cordelia here at Broadway World. Stay tuned for more amazing

conversations with amazing talent. And until then, we'll see you later. Come on heat my foot steps on the center of time

A dancing man