Maggy's dream debut on Broadway

In 2017, Maggy van den Heuvel (28) was given the opportunity to move to New York on a VSB scholarship. On August 28, the former student of the Lucia Marthas Institute of Performing Arts made her debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Hell's Kitchen on Broadway.

Text: Loes Vader

It all started at the local dance school in Houten. Maggy’s passion and talent, hard work and enormous dedication brought her via Amsterdam to New York, where she still lives her dream every day. "As a child, I danced in the Lion King. Dancing has always been my life."

Lucia and Ailey

After high school, Maggy decided to go all out for dancing and visited open days at dance schools with her parents. "When I  saw Lucia,  I immediately knew: this is the school I want to go to." She auditioned and was accepted. Maggy owes the seed for her New York adventure to a friend who saw an Ailey dancer in her. The Ailey School is one of the most renowned modern dance schools in the United States. "I had no idea what she was talking about, but when I watched Ailey's video, something clicked in my brain. OMG... That's how I want to dance."

Dream became step-by-step plan

Maggy did teacher training at Lucia Marthas in addition to the executive training and she worked on her dream: to study at the Ailey School in New York. Her dream became a step-by-step plan. "What should I do, and how do I get there? To go to New York, you need a lot of money. A friend tipped me off about scholarships, which I started applying for in my last year at Lucia Marthas."

Holland Dance Festival

Maggy auditioned for Ailey and received both a VSB scholarship through Hanze and a scholarship from the Prince Bernard Culture Fund. With that, her adventure in New York could begin. She took classes in jazz, modern, hip-hop, musical theater and much more at the world-famous New York dance school.  "In my last year at Ailey, we performed at the Holland Dance Festival in The Hague. Last June I finished my last season with them and with that came the question: what now? I didn't have any jobs, but I knew it was going to be okay. I had confidence."

Audition Hell’s Kitchen

It worked out for Maggy. A friend alerted her to an audition for Hell's Kitchen, the musical based on music and lyrics by Alicia Keys, with a semi-autobiographical plot about her childhood in Manhattan in the 90s. "I immediately thought: this is so cool! I rehearsed a dance, sent in the video and was invited to the audition. It was incredibly hard, but I couldn't give up. The last thing you want is to show that you're tired. I immediately went sour after that audition, which was something I hadn't experienced in all those years. At Ailey, we danced from Monday to Friday from ten to six, which was also very intense, but at the audition my legs were already tired after an hour."

Vacation swing

A week later, Maggy received a message from the casting director. "We thought you were very good, but we went in a different direction. Another week later, I received an email asking if I was interested and available to fill in as a vacation swing in case a dancer has an injury or is on vacation. In principle, I can be expected to cover all the dancers, but so far I know one track, and I dance to cover one dancer. And yes, I sing too, I can hold some notes. On Broadway, you have to be able to do it all: dance, sing and act. All learnt at Lucia Marthas. And she was there, she flew to New York for my debut!"

Alicia Keys

Maggy is very enthusiastic and also deeply moved by the story of Hell's Kitchen. The musical is about a teenage girl who grows up in Hell's Kitchen, a neighbourhood in the New York borough of Manhattan. "She wants to do everything girls in New York want: hang out on the street and be cool with her friends. She falls in love with a boy, a bucket drummer. Her mother sees the problems of the streets and tries to protect her from the mistakes she has made herself. A typical mother and teen story. Sweet, but with a very rough edge. There is sadness and also a certain ugliness. It touches people. It has touched me. The emotion that is released while dancing is incredibly pure. I'm an Alicia Keys fan and to dance to her songs is magic. Alicia is very involved in the musical, she was there every day at the try-outs. I was able to meet her in the end."

Beyoncé

How does Maggy see her future, now that her dream has become a reality? "I really want to dance in the Lion King on Broadway because I did that as a kid. I would also love to go on tour with an artist. Beyoncé is at the top of the list, I'm sure she'll keep going until she can't go on any longer. It is also a dream to be able to do more campaigns for top brands. In ten years' time, I'll see myself behind the camera more, because I've noticed that a lot of cameramen don't really know how to capture dance. I also think it would be really cool to go back to the Netherlands and share all the knowledge and experience I have and eventually work in the entertainment industry."

Listen to your heart

Finally, Maggy has some tips for students. "Finish your studies. If you can do more, do it. Know what you want and don't get distracted. Be focused, but also be open to other opportunities that come your way. Opportunities that you may not be focused on often bring the most beautiful surprises. Don't be afraid to fail. If you have the chance, go abroad. Listen to your heart, and you'll get to where you're supposed to be."