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"Felton Native Takes A Broadway Tour of The US With 'Movin' Out'" By: Joanna Wilson (December 1st, 2004) On Friday, it seemed like practically anyone and everyone you called in the local dance community was en route or preparing to leave for Washington, DC. But the mass exodus wasn't in the name of Christmas shopping. They were 'Movin' Out' to the National Theatre to see an old friend: Felton native Julie Voshell, who has been on the road with the touring company of the hit Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp Broadway musical for nearly a year. Classically trained in ballet with local legend Tatiana Akinfieva-Smith and a former Sugar Plum Fairy with what was then the Delaware Regional Ballet, Voshell headed for the bright lights of the Big Apple after graduating from the North Carolina School of the Performing Arts and a stint with North Carolina Dance Theatre. In her early years in New York, she worked day jobs, but no more - she now makes her living as a full-time performer with a repertoire that includes singing and acting as well as dance. About four years ago, she got her first taste of the road, traveling with the touring company of Swing and performing to the lively dance music of the World War II generation. In between Swing and "Movin' Out," Voshell has worked steadily in NYC, dancing ballet and modern in city companies and acting in "off-off Broadway" plays, including a production of Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth." "You have to become multi-faceted," said Voshell, whose stop in Washington, DC offered the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving at home with her parents, Honey and Loey Voshell. "You have to be able to do everything, not just dance." Often, Voshell said she'll be performing in one show while rehearsing another. In between, she takes classes to hone her acting and singing skills as well as keeping on top of her game at dance. "Movin' Out," which is still running on Broadway, provides Voshell with variety, since as dance captain and as a member of the show's ensemble, she dances in group numbers and covers a variety of roles, including playing Judy, one of the two female leads, for some performances. "You sort of have to be a quick study to do it," she said. The show could probably run on the legendary Tharp's choreography and its two dozen biggest hits of Billy Joel, but there's more to it than that. "It's a story musical, not just a revue. It's got a plot," Voshell said, explaining its drama centers on five friends who go off to the Vietnam War together. The songs form the story, beginning with Brenda & Eddie of Hicksville, Long Island getting married in "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." Other familiar tunes include the title song, "Uptown Girl," "Prelude/Angry Young Man," and "We Didn't Start The Fire." The tour has played major cities from Boston to San Francisco. Her favorites so far, Voshell said, are Los Angeles and Washington, DC, where she said of the National Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue, "It's beautiful, historic and old." And the tour shows no signs of slowing down, which is fine with Voshell. "It just keeps going. It's pretty much booked for a solid year," she said, noting she has no plans to move on anytime soon. "I am having a great time. I love my job." |