Michelle Aguilar-Camara: Dancing for the 'King'

NEW YORK — Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk… The Abba verse may well speak to Michelle Aguilar-Camaya, the San Diego, CA-born dancer who is cast in “Lion King." She began dancing at 4, became a choreographer by 16, and is now an accomplished performer with the Broadway hit musical where she transforms from gazelle to lioness to butterfly and an assortment of animals using nothing but nimble, rhythmic and unusual movements. Michelle does not exactly recall how dance became a passion: was it her first love or did her mother pave the course for her? What she remembers is that her mother, Violeta, loved to dance and, from old photos albums, was always costumed in hula or ballroom skirts. “I don’t know if I made the conscious choice. I was so spastic when I was a little girl and my mom loved to dance," Michelle recalls. That may have gotten her started, but when she did, there’s no stopping the intrepid dancer who recalls auditioning for the “Lion King" the day of 9/11. Michelle has been swinging her way through life – from school musicals to cultural shows for the Filipino American community to nightclub ballrooms and now Broadway. The road to “Lion King" began in Sept. 11, 2001 in Los Angeles. Half a country away, New York was reeling and raging from the World Trade center attacks. “It was a surreal audition. I had this audition at 10 a.m. in LA and there was the shock, the total shock of what’s going on out here (in New York). Time kinda stood still. Everybody kinda wondered like what’s gonna happen next with everything in our lives? Is this audition really gonna happen? Nobody called me, my agent didn’t call me to say if the audition is canceled. Everything was up in the air. I decided to go. Let me go see what’s gonna happen. I went. The audition still happened. The TV monitors in the waiting room were playing all the news about New York. Usually in an audition its cutthroat, to each his own, I want this job, kinda like brutal. There were 20 of us in the final callback. We had a prayer circle, while all of this going on in the other side of the country, we still had to press on, do what we had to do. When my turn came, I just kicked ass!" she recalls. Michelle may have passed the test, but the actual performance would happen four years later. In the meantime, she continued touring for “Fame," a musical that showcased her intrepid dancing skill and talent, got her diploma in Dance at UC Irvine, taught bikram yoga in Thailand, and continued to dance wherever a floor or a partner was available. “Then, out of nowhere I get this call in NY from the ‘Lion King’ casting," she says. Michelle was ready as ready could be. “Lion King" would be her first full-length Broadway musical. True, she was in the cast of “Fame," but that one toured all over the country, from the East Coast to the West to Canada, and while Michelle was not part of the New York cast, the discipline, energy and culture of Broadway she’s very much internalized. “That’s the lovely part about ‘Lion King.’ Once you’re part of the ‘Lion King’ family you’re always part of the ‘Lion King’ family. People come and go, they’ve come back, gone and back again," says Michelle, explaining why it took a while to actually get on board from when she passed the audition in 2001 to June 2004 when her name got on Playbill. The “Lion King" celebrates 10 years this year. Except for the strike of Broadway workers (still ongoing as of press time), it is the long running constantly sold-out show, says Michelle. “We just moved to the Minskoff for over a year now. We moved from the New Amsterdam where we were for eight years. The move was less of a risk for us because we’re a sure seller," she explains. “Mary Poppins" had taken Lion’s place at the New Amsterdam. “I start off as a gazelle, then become a lioness, a butterfly; I have 13 quick changes throughout the show. My show’s in and out of costume," says Michelle proudly. “We do eight shows a week. We speak five different languages, many of the languages are from South Africa."Before Michelle, there were two other Filipino Americans doing her track – Lamae Caparas and Tina Smith. It takes a petite woman to do her multiple roles expected to interpret one graceful animal to another. Her mother, Violeta Aguilar from Bacolod, couldn’t be prouder. “She’s been a major supporter of what I do in my life," Michelle declares. In her honor, Michelle decides to make “Aguilar dash Camaya" her stage name. Her father, Arturo Camaya, is from La Union. Her parents are separated, but Michelle says her father is equally enthused about her dance career. “He’s the one who’s always, ‘Let me show you some moves,’" Michelle shares with a laugh. Arturo is a retired Navy man. Michelle tips her hat to “Lion King" actors who have been on the show 10 years. She could not envision herself staying that long, but being part of an iconic musical will always remain an important part of her film and stage credits. Michelle appeared on “Memoirs of a Geisha" as one of the Japanese dancers at Sayuri’s ramp debut. “’Lion King’ surpasses all others, from storyline, vision, creativity," she says. “The cast. It’s such a joy to be around them. It’s family." - Philippine News