
3 minute read
LEWIS SHILVOCK
Long time, no talk.
Last time I wrote for DanceAus Connect was way back in 2019! I was 17 years old, just about to graduate full time and had no idea that a few months later the world would be shut down by a global pandemic A lot has changed since then, a lot of set backs (like everyone) but holy moles - a lot of growth and amazing accomplishments that I am so proud of.
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At the start of 2020, I was in my first professional show. The Overthinker presented by Rudy Abreu debuted in January 2020 at the Montalbán Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard and involved an intensive two week rehearsal period, followed by a week of shows. It was the craziest way to come out of my full-time training and was without-adoubt some of the hardest choreography I have ever learnt and performed.
The connections and memories from those three weeks are ones I cherish forever Little did I know that in March of 2020 I would be back in Los Angeles, this time shooting an episode of America’s Got Talent My experience on AGT was nothing short of surreal A producer had contacted me a week before my audition, offering to organise my trip to LA and a spot on the show’s 15th season They had seen a video of me on Instagram and were insistent on making my audition happen It was never something I had planned on doing, but when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t say no I remember my time there so clearly and still am shocked to say it ever happened I was fortunate enough to make it through my first round audition but with the pandemic beginning to grow throughout the world, I was rushed back to Australia and didn’t return to the USA to shoot any other episodes
As it was for everyone, pandemic life was a massive shift I spent my time back home in Adelaide with my family, training and teaching across the world via Zoom I stayed well connected with my American friends and mentors and began planning my move to Sydney for once the pandemic had settled down As the pandemic began to ease, I made the move to Sydney and began embarking on my professional career
My time in Sydney started off with a lot of teaching I was teaching six days a week and when I wasn’t teaching, I was at every class I could get to. At the time I was talking a lot with my agent about what I wanted my career to look like Pre-pandemic I wasn’t too sure but knew I wanted to travel around the USA and Europe to see what opportunities were out in the world, but since travel was off the cards, I had to adapt my plans. There was really only one available path to take in Australia - musical theatre I had always grown up with strong foundations in jazz dance and musical theatre was a constant throughout my life, so I was excited to have the opportunity to professional pursue theatre! Soon after I began auditioning, I was fortunate enough to book a role in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella presented by Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live.
Due to a number of pandemic-related setbacks, Cinderella was pushed back by six months and allowed me the opportunity to travel abroad.
In February of 2022 I spent six weeks in New York, immersing myself in everything the city had to offer. I trained with so many teachers I look up to and got to meet some people who I now call my best friends
Cinderella was the most amazing professional musical theatre debut I could have asked for. I was in a track that allowed me to do everything I was good at - technique, partnering and acrobatics. I toured with the show for it’s entire run, performing 225 shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney


Upon finishing Cinderella, I was lucky enough to have my second and current contract lined up, MAMMA MIA! The Musical presented by Louise Withers + Associates. We are currently performing in Sydney, with Brisbane and Melbourne seasons later this year I work on the show as a swing, meaning I do not perform the show every night but instead learn all the ensemble plots in the show to jump onstage when someone is injured or sick
Between the ensemble plots I swing and the principal ensemble members I understudy, I cover 13 tracks in the show and need to be ready to perform them at any given moment. The show must always go on, and it is because of swings that this saying exists!