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In “Hamilton” the beat never ends

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ArtsMusic
Aug. 18, 2017, 3:00 p.m.

‘Hamilton’ choreographer on finding the show’s pulse: ‘You can’t dance to the beat, you have to look like the beat’

Music supervisor Alex Lacamoire, left, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and director Thomas Kail from "Hamilton" with The Times' Mary McNamara. (Los Angeles Times)
Music supervisor Alex Lacamoire, left, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and director Thomas Kail from “Hamilton” with The Times’ Mary McNamara. (Los Angeles Times)

In most cases musical theater is 95% non-music. The music comes in, says “Hamilton” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, only when words are no longer strong enough to capture the emotion. But in “Hamilton” the beat never ends, which means the actors have a challenging job.

“I’m always talking to the cast saying you can’t dance to the beat, you have to look like the beat,” Blankenbuehler said Monday night in a conversation about the creation of “Hamilton.”

“And in that way, it takes the common lessons that we go through every day -- life, death, falling in love -- by putting that beat underneath it, it rises everything up,” he added. “So nothing is on the ground, everything is immediately heightened.”

WATCH: The full interview with the ‘Hamilton’ creative team here

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He’s your Aaron Burr, sir: ‘Hamilton’ star Joshua Henry on why kids in the audience bring him to tears

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‘Hamilton’ original cast and creatives: Where are they now?

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