Choreographer teaching tap dancing

You won't see Lees Hummel on stage in Southeast Missouri State University's production of "42nd Street." But the success of the production hinges on Hummel's hard work with the dozens of cast members involved in the production.

Hummel is the choreographer for "42nd Street" -- a musical that is as more about dancing and singing than it is about plot and acting. Hummel calls "42nd Street" a "dancical," and it will be her first time working on a university theater production since joining the Southeast faculty during the 2005-2006 academic year.

Since the beginning of the fall semester Hummel has been teaching students how to tap, which most have never done before, while also instructing them on "good old Broadway-style dancing."

Hummel has never choreographed a musical at Southeast before, but she has worked on large-scale productions of "Chicago" and "Fiddler on the Roof," among others. So the amount of resources -- personnel, time and money -- being poured into "42nd Street" doesn't contribute to any anxiety, Hummel said.

"I'm just worried about what's going on on-stage," she said.

Hummel has plenty of experience as a performer and choreographer to draw from. She earned her BFA at New York University, then spent 10 years dancing with several professional companies, touring groups and in musicals in New York and Nashville, even doing a movie with Frankie Avalon. She then returned to NYU to earn her MFA and taught at choreography at the college level in Miami and western Kentucky.

Dr. Kenn Stilson, department chair and "42nd Street" director, is glad to have a talent like Hummel on staff for this type of production.

"In this particular production, this component is a huge element," Stilson said. "Tap is a real specialization. It takes longer to learn, and the choreography takes longer. This is a choreographer's musical."

Hummel said there's still a lot of work to be done before "42nd Street" is ready for the public in a month. She's still making alterations to the choreography, but she's confident everything will be ready for opening night.

"Somehow the magic of theater occurs," Hummel said. "Magically by opening night, whatever wasn't together gets together."

As for the complex tap routines performed by students who largely haven't tapped before this school year, Hummel has no worries there, either. Despite the difficulty of learning tap and the near nonstop dancing, Hummel knows her students will be up to the challenge.

"It's a lot of hard work, and they're working hard at it," she said.

-- Matt Sanders