On this episode of West of Broadway, Will & Wendy are shifting focus slightly away from celebrating Musical Theater in Los Angeles and on the West Coast to celebrating Musical Theater FROM Los Angeles. With the recent announcement that the Broadway Industry will be staying closed until 2021, it is now more important than ever that we support arts education. Will and Wendy sit down with Director of Sales and Partnerships for PASSDOOR and one of their Visiting Educators, James Tabeek do discuss how they are working to help change the face of tomorrow’s Broadway by educating the young artists of today.

PASSDOOR The new virtual platform offers intimate dance classes taught by seasoned Broadway performers. Offering over 40 live dance classes per week for aspiring dancers of all ages and skill levels. The emerging company in the New York theatre scene, announced the launch of their virtual platform which hosts professional-level dance classes taught solely by seasoned Broadway performers.

Through the instruction of these notable teaching artists who have appeared in over 100 Broadway shows, students on Passdoor will learn dance techniques, skills and choreography from the comfort of their own home — regardless of personal skill level or age.

With Broadway dark due to COVID-19, PassDoor was born out of the necessity to provide out-of-work performers an outlet for their art — the opportunity to train, connect and share their talents with future generations of dancers. Each Passdoor class is capped at 20 students, therefore allowing the instructors to provide direct feedback live. Classes are offered in the Ballet, Ballet Barre, Broadway Choreo, Children’s Theatre Playhouse, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Theatre Dance and Theatre Jazz modalities, formatted for both adults and children.

“We formed PassDoor out of a need to help displaced Broadway Dancers due to the Pandemic, but quickly discovered it could be so much more. Not only are we providing a space for current professional artists to create and share their craft, but because everything is online, we have an opportunity to change the face of tomorrow’s Broadway by educating the young artists of today that might not have access to theatre or the arts,” said Megan Sikora, Director of Sales & Partnerships of Passdoor.

“The team of teachers PassDoor has assembled are the absolute A-list of Broadway talent. Truly the very best of the best.” ~Denis Jones, two time Tony nominee, Best Choreography "The dancers teaching on PassDoor are among the elite Broadway performers of our time and some of my most favorite dancers in NYC! I’ve repeatedly hired many of them myself to dance on Broadway, network television and many other performances. Their unparalleled talent and experience makes PassDoor absolutely one of a kind." ~Josh Bergasse, Emmy Award winner, Outstanding Choreography

Be sure to follow @ONPASSDOOR @MEGANSIKORA and @JAMESTABEEK on Instagram and while you’re at it feel free to follow @Wendy_Rosoff and @WillArmstrongPR. for the latest in West of Broadway news. BroadwayPodcastNetwork.com/podcasts/west-of-broadway is how you can keep up with us and find past and future episodes.

Thanks for joining us, until next time, if you’re looking for us, you can find us Just West of Broadway!