TALKING WITH BIANCA MARROQUÍN

Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart in CHICAGO. Photo: Len Prince

Bianca Marroquín portrays Roxie Hart in the national tour of CHICAGO. Prior to joining the tour, Marroquín finished six months in Mexico as Maria in The Sound of Music. Marroquín is the first Mexican woman to ever be invited to make the crossover from Mexico to Broadway in a lead role. She has a Helen Hayes Award for her portrayal of Roxie Hart and several other awards in her native Mexico.

Buzz Extra spoke with Marroquín, who had just arrived in the states after touring with CHICAGO in Japan. 

EXTRA:  I understand you have a little jet lag.

MARROQUÍN: It's horrible, I went to sleep at midnight and I woke up at two. But I am looking forward to coming. I love Cleveland.

EXTRA: CHICAGO is such a dancer's show. Tell us about your dance training.

MARROQUÍN: At age 3, my mother took me to my first ballet class. When I turned 8, I
added Flamenco and Tap. At 13, I added Jazz and Folklorico, Mexican Folk Dance. I was focused on Flamenco. That was what I really wanted to do… until musical theater came and kind of got in the way.

EXTRA: How did it get in the way?

MARROQUÍN: Beauty and the Beast came to Mexico. They were looking for dancers who could sing. That's when musical theater took off for me. Then Rent came to Mexico and I was the dance captain. When Phantom of the Opera came, it was hard to find ballet dancers who could sing, so my ballet came in handy. I was dance captain and swing for all the girls. Then CHICAGO and Roxie brought me to Broadway!

EXTRA:  Can you share your pre-show warm up routine?

MARROQUÍN: I have a couple of exercises on the floor to cover everything: the back, the lower back, all the parts of my legs, knees, quads… and then I do sit ups and push ups to make sure I stay in shape... I find that the best training for any dancer is the floor bar because you're working against gravity. Do the bar on your back so you're not standing and it all comes from your upper thighs. 

EXTRA: Before you got cast in CHICAGO in Mexico, was there was a six day workshop to prepare dancers for the audition?

MARROQUÍN: Most people in Mexico, myself included, weren't familiar with the Fosse technique. Gene Foote, from the Gwen Verdon generation, taught us different numbers from Fosse’s shows. It was amazing. I felt quite comfortable with the technique. It is against everything you are taught if you have classical dance training.   Everything is inward instead of outward, and there's more tension in the fingers. In ballet everything is soft. With Fosse, the movement is more like twitches instead of flowing. His anatomy was a little different than classical dancers. Instead of fighting it, he worked with what he had and created a new style, fashion, and technique.  And it caused a sensation.

EXTRA: Why is his style of dance so appealing?

MARROQUÍN: It is very sexual without being vulgar, never vulgar, which is what I love. It is electrifying. He is brilliant, the way he choreographed. He converts the whole body into weapons to create stories.  

EXTRA:  Have you worked with Ann Reinking?

MARROQUÍN: The very first time I came to Broadway, 2002, my Billy Flynn was George Hamilton. He just had surgery on his knee and I couldn't sit on his lap. And for the number, "We Both Reached for the Gun," Annie had to come in to change the choreography. We had a couple of sessions just to re-choreograph that number. I got to work with her one on one. It was amazing. When Patrick Swayze was in the show, Annie came in and altered the show for him because he was more of a dancer. So, yes, I have had the chance to work with her and am very fortunate.

EXTRA: We can't wait to see the show when you get here. Now get some sleep!  

MARROQUÍN: Definitely!