How did you find your most recent opportunity?
I was preparing to close “Bull Durham” at Paper Mill Playhouse last fall when I got
an appointment to audition for “BLOOD/LOVE.” I didn’t know much about the show at
first, but like most auditions, I looked up the team.
What pulled me in was the choreographers, Jonathan and Oksana Platero. I thought,
you know what? I’ll go in. If they like me, they keep me, and if they don’t, they
don’t. It turned into a full day of dancing and multiple callbacks. I told myself,
if it’s going to happen, it will happen.
And then it happened.
This show has brought me so much joy. We work really hard, and we care about what
we’re doing. That makes it easier to enjoy the work, even when it’s intense. When
people see “BLOOD/LOVE," I hope they see our commitment. I hope they leave and go:
that was incredible.
Tré Booker with his "BLOOD/LOVE" binder / Photo courtesy of Tré Booker
How has this role helped you grow as an artist?
What I love most is that even though I’m swinging four roles, each one is unique.
When I step in, I don’t feel like I’m replacing someone — I’m stepping into my version
of the role. There are bones that keep the structure of the show, but there’s also
another side to it: How does Tré do this?
The challenge for me has been learning to trust my movement quality, to trust my ability.
I wouldn’t be able to do that if I hadn’t gone to UNCSA because there I had to learn
what was mine, what movement quality spoke to me. And in this show, I really get to
exercise that — the choreography is just so rich and full of flavor.
It's a lot to learn, and I’m learning it in real time while in costume. So it’s definitely
a push, but I’ve always wanted to swing. I’ve always wanted to be a dance captain
in a Broadway show — on Broadway, off-Broadway, regional — it doesn’t really matter
where the work is being made as long as you’re enjoying it.
The challenge for me has been learning to trust my movement quality, to trust my ability.
I wouldn’t be able to do that if I hadn’t gone to UNCSA.
Tré Booker
We have to release this expectation: just because you’re on Broadway or in L.A. doesn’t
mean all your dreams will come true. Hopefully, you’re with good people and a good
company doing work that speaks to you, that makes you feel safe and joyous.
But yeah, it’s been a challenge of just trusting what I bring to the table.
When did you know that the arts were “it” for you?
They will not take credit for it, but my godparents have been the pioneers of why
I do what I do: Joanne Hock and Heidi Dove. They just really saw that I had a knack
for dance.
As a kid, I was watching “Live at the Apollo” with my mom and mimicking Michael Jackson.
My godparents said let’s just sign you up for dance, put you in a dance school.
And I did it for a while, and then I went to Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte
for sixth grade. That’s where I stopped dancing and started doing theater, because
I hadn’t accepted who I was at that age. I felt like I needed to present a particular
way, so I chose theater.
From there, I started doing musical theater, then found my way back to dance. Then
junior year of high school, I went to the American Dance Festival, and that’s where
I discovered dance was truly my passion. From that point on, I chose dance as my focus.
What drew you to UNCSA, and how do you still use your training today?
Honestly, the alumni such as Camille A. Brown and Gillian Murphy.
I recognized their abilities as creatives in the world. And when I went to the American
Dance Festival in high school, I met a bunch of UNCSA students and I was obsessed
with their movement quality, with their abilities to just dance in a way that spoke
to my brain.
I decided I wanted to go to UNCSA and figure out what I could do there.
Tre Booker rehearsing for "Bull Durham" / Photo by @Kaptured_by_kiki_, courtesy of
Tré Booker
It also happened to be close to home, only an hour away, so my family could see shows.
It just worked. UNCSA came into my life at the right time, and I learned what I needed
to know for who I am right now.
My training taught me how to maintain myself now physically. I know when I’m hurting,
how to restore my body, how to warm up properly. I know when something’s out of whack,
and how to prepare so I can still give the best I can.
When I was younger, I just wanted to hurry up and get to the goal. But I had professors
who encouraged every step I could take — Susan Jaffe, Krisha Marcano, Juel D. Lane, Brenda Daniels — some big heavy hitters that just spoke to me in a way that I knew I could do this,
even if it was difficult and I hit some bumps.
That prepared me to be competitive — and to want my dream more than it wanted itself.
What was your path like from UNCSA to Broadway?
While I was at UNCSA, I became focused on the Ailey School. I started going every
summer and committed myself fully. I felt like the talent, the ability, the concentration
would come if I put the effort in — and that’s what I did.
After Ailey, my agent suggested I look into Broadway and theater, so I committed to
auditioning. I booked an Equity production of “Aida.” And while I was doing that,
I was like… maybe I just go for it. Then boom, I accepted a contract with them.
I also did about six months of Disney Cruise Line, which I adored. I’m a Disney adult
— unfortunately and fortunately — but it means my life is exTrémely romantic and Disney-fied
in every avenue. And that led me to stay involved in theater in the best way.
And then COVID happened. I moved back to North Carolina and actually lived in Winston-Salem
again. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, because COVID
made me feel like I had to make a decision and I had to change.
Tré Booker performing with the TopCats / Photo by Laura Wolff @laurawolffphoto, courtesy
of Tré Booker
That's when I ended up doing NFL cheerleading — and was one of the first guys to cheer,
alongside another alum, Christopher Crawford. I did that for two years; it was such
a wild time in my life.
But in my second year, I realized I’d lost track of the goals I’d spoken to myself,
the goals I had at Ailey and in New York. So that brought me back here. And here we
are, almost three years later.
What advice would you give to current students and emerging artists?
One thing Trish Casey taught me at UNCSA that I live by is trust your process. If freshman Tré, in his
class with Brenda Daniels learning “Cunningham,” knew he’d be a swing and assistant
dance captain of a new off-Broadway show, I don’t know if he would have been able
to handle that information.
Now, I’m so grateful that I trusted the process. I went from being in the city to
being on a cruise ship to moving back home to being a cheerleader to coming back to
New York. I don’t think my younger self would have recognized those moments and those
steps properly.
You just have to learn and trust and be happy. Share art that makes you happy. Do
art that makes you happy. Trust your process. Apply 150% to everything, and you will
not miss what’s for you. You might think you missed it — and then discover you didn’t
after all.
By Sasha Hartzell
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