#BehindtheCurtain: Get to Know Xavier J. Bush
We are thrilled to introduce Xavier J. Bush, the incredible choreographer for our upcoming production of “Anything Goes”! You may remember Xavier from various appearances with SDMT, whether on stage as ‘Sparky’ in our most recent production, “Plaid Tidings”, or when he was with SDMT as the choreographer of “Catch Me If You Can” in Spring of 2022, and it’s a joy to have Xavier back with us again. Having worked from coast to coast directing, choreographing, and performing, Xavier brings a wealth of knowledge to our production. Keep reading below to get to know this amazingly talented individual before you get to see their work in action in a month on the SDMT Stage!
What inspired you to get into musical theatre?
I started performing at age five in mini church musicals! My older cousin was a dancer and I wanted to do everything she did. I asked her to teach me all of her dance routines and we would perform at home dance recitals for our family. In 7th grade I joined the school choir and from there I just took every performing opportunity I could get.
What made you want to choreograph “Anything Goes”? Does the show have any special meaning to you?
“Anything Goes” is definitely special to me because it was one of my first professional shows as an actor! I didn’t know much about the show when auditioning, but I knew that being a sailor and doing that iconic seven-minute tap number was like a musical theatre rite of passage. I had so much fun with that cast and just fell in love with this classic.
If you were on a cruise, who’s the one celebrity you’d want to see and talk with on board?
Beyonce is the only correct choice for this question.
Who is your Broadway idol?
It’s hard to narrow it down, but one of my Broadway idols is Tony Yazbeck. He is such a true triple threat!
What is your dream role?
I don’t think that I have one specific dream role. I would love to be in almost every musical! Some shows I’d want to be the lead, some shows I’d want to be a supporting player, and some shows I’d want to dance in the ensemble! It all depends on the show!
What’s your favorite scene in the show?
My favorite scene in Anything Goes is “Buddle Beware”! Truth be told, I’d love to play Erma!
What’s the hardest thing about your role?
One of the biggest obstacles of my job is figuring out how to make seven plus minute dance numbers interesting in a smaller space than they are typically done in. After choreographing “Catch Me If You Can” last year I have experience choreographing in this space which is nice. I’ve tried to add as much story to the dances as possible and have them build from somewhere rather than having them be all one level the whole time.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
A lot of people know that I am a vegetarian, but what they don’t know is that I tried being vegan once! It was actually while I was in rehearsals for the production of Anything Goes that I was in. (It didn’t last long.)
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