Alex Llorca Peréz has many interests, but he's found the particular place which lights him up like nowhere else: onstage in New York City. As a performer in his hometown of Barcelona, Spain, he heard incredible things about dance and theater in NYC. After graduating from college -- the fruits of an intense undergraduate experience of dance training, work, and school -- he suddenly felt free to truly chase his dreams. “I felt like it was my moment to go out and fly,” to NYC that is, he shared. I recently spoke with Alex about his experiences in NYC, through COVID, what he sees as his path ahead, and much more.
Alex took the leap to the Big Apple in 2019, when he auditioned for and was accepted into Broadway Dance Center's Professional Semester Program. He does also have a degree in Biomedical Sciences, but he's considered that a "Plan B"; it didn't take long into dancing and living in NYC to know that it was the place and the career for him. More than that, it was truly his dream.
Alex Llorca Peréz flying high
Hello, New York; Bye, New York
While in the US, he worked with renowned choreographer Luis Salgado (Original Broadway Cast of On Your Feet and In The Heights) through Revolution Latina. The organization celebrating the Latino community through the arts -- inspiring a love of theater, film, and music within the community. This work built upon Alex’s youth outreach experience in Spain. On January 18th, 2020 he also performed in ALMA NYC's Yellow. His next successful audition was also in NYC, for Footloose on Norwegian Chorus Lines. After a bit of frenzy to get his passport back in Spain, he headed to rehearsals in Tampa, FL.
In the final stages of that rehearsal process, down to cleaning numbers, COVID hit and locked down the world. That of course included the performing arts, and no one had any clue as to when it’d all come back. Alex spent the summer of 2020 back in Barcelona. Though people slowly started working again, he felt a little “lost” because everything stood at a standstill; COVID took its toll not only on arts and culture but on everyday life, as we all know. Alex came to realize that this was the moment to use his “Plan B” of working in science.
Alex dancing outside (like many of us have done through during COVID!)
He also realized that he wanted to travel, to find some “fresh air” and "do something different." In a fortunate twist of timing and circumstance, his best friend living in Edinburgh, Scotland invited him to come live there. He's currently living there and working for the U.K.'s health system, the NHS, doing COVID PCR tests.
As for dance training, he tried a few Zoom classes, but it just wasn’t the same as dancing in space with other dancers, and he also found technical issues that came up frustrating. Alex did train on his own at home, however, as he luckily has a big space with a mirror to use. He’s gradually gotten back to taking in-person classes (which began opening back up in spring 2021 in Edinburgh) and will also soon start teaching.
Over the horizon
For many dancers, the question now is “what next?”; it’s all so uncertain right now, yet COVID has also made many of us see our lives and our careers in a new light. Alex, however, is as committed to his vision as ever. He wants to perform, learn, create and have that incomparable performance feeling. He loves performing in musicals (The Newsies and Mary Poppins are two of his favorites), and also being a part of companies like ALMA NYC that are truly united in common purpose and tightly-knit community. After experiencing all he can in that, he wants to shift his focus to passing on his knowledge and creative facility to the next generation of artists -- so that they can be the best they can be.
Alex loves performing in musicals and in tightly-knit, purpose-driven artist communities
What can Alex bring to the “pack” of artists crowding an audition studio, and in a broader sense American performing artists as a community? He believes that he’s notably versatile and adaptable as a performer -- something that choreographers, directors, and producers are increasingly looking for. Musical theater jazz is his strongest style, amongst many others in his technical toolbox, and also his favorite style. He hopes to take more tumbling classes and strengthen his abilities in that style. “I want to lose my fear there and just do it. It’s a really good skill to have as a performer,” he explained.
Alex also believes that he has a strong ability to be “authentically theatrical,” to bring his true essence to a role. “I can really bring life to a character, and through that truly connect with audiences. That can help people find joy and catharsis in art," he affirmed.
Why America? Why is it the place he felt drawn to “fly” to, and also the place where he feels like he can fly? For one, the caliber of training is incredible, he noted. He sees that as tied to a different attitude towards a career in the performing arts than what he experienced growing up in Spain; there, he explained, being an artist just isn't thought of as a legitimate, stable career, but in America that sort of career is more common and more accepted. The latter environment leads to more high-quality training, because there’s something special to build and work towards.
Alex is a versatile performer as well as skilled at truly bringing life to a role.
Alex also truly treasures the community of artists in America, and the supportive, tight-knit feeling within that community. While working with ALMA NYC, for example, he felt “at home” -- even while thousands of miles from home. Beyond ALMA, he feels an environment of all-around support rather than competitiveness when taking public class -- with people clapping for and cheering each other on, for instance.
At his first class in BDC’s Professional Semester Program, in fact, he was nervous and a bit taken aback by the facility of his dancing peers. Yet one dancer gave him a genuine compliment, and that meant so much to him in that moment. He was able to drop some of his nerves and believe in his own capabilities rather than being sidetracked by those of his peers.
The energy of and opportunities of NYC are also unparalleled, he shared. “Broadway is right there, and you can shift your perspective to see the wonder of where you are and what you’re doing….you realize that you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to do,” he shared. “One time I was taking class with an ensemble member in Beetlejuice, and I had just seen that show a couple of days before!,” he added.
Alicia Keys called New York City the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. With community, unparalleled opportunities, and the chance to share what he has to offer, Alex Llorca Peréz is on his way to making his dream there too.
Alex joyfully dancing on the Brooklyn Bridge