Today I'm wrapping up with Terrance Martin, the dance captain and a swing currently on Hamilton's Philip Tour (and previously all over the world).

This week, Terrance talks about his international experiences with Hamilton, including how exciting it was building up that tour with alums from every production of Hamilton worldwide. He also walks us through the role of a Dance Captain and how the way he focuses on the intentions of each character really informs the way he communicates. He has to know the intricacies of every role while being super tuned into his cast mates so he can give both the show and his fellow actors exactly what they need to kill it on stage.

And on the topic of legacy (because it always comes back to that, doesn't it?), Terrance talks about being a founding member of the Black Artist Dance Collective, a program focused on supporting and connecting Black artists and building the community he never had.

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The Black Artists Dance Collective: https://www.tbadcollective.org/ https://www.instagram.com/tbadcollective/?hl=en

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Terrance Martin is back for round two and while everyone loves feeling seen, is there anything better than seeing your friend absolutely killing it at something they love and you get to hype them up and tell everyone how amazing they are? The answer is no. Terrance's journey to traveling the world as a Hamilton Swing and Dance Captain spans six years and in hearing him talk about his experiences and his friendships surrounding this show, you can tell that the invisible string theory is hard at work in his world.

This week Terrance talks about a life-changing Season of Yes but it took a lot of no's to get there and a lot of them were from Terrance! After a long look at his career and asking himself some very hard questions about how and why he wanted to be a performer in the first place, Terrance called his bestie and announced his retirement. His plan was to "bow out gracefully," commit to teaching the next generation, and embark on his Season of Yes.

So naturally that's when the Universe jumped in and said BET! because guess what show came calling...

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Terrance Martin on Instagram

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Terrance's Website

The Black Artists Dance Collective: https://www.tbadcollective.org/ https://www.instagram.com/tbadcollective/?hl=en

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Terrance Martin is a multi-faceted performer and activist, a founding member of the Black Artists Dance Collective, and one of the best conversationalists on the planet. Terrance is currently the dance captain and a swing on the Philip Tour, and previously has been all over the world with Hamilton. It took him six years of auditioning to get there but that's actually great because he got a ton of experience performing in other great shows during that time. We talk a lot about redefining success, and that was all a major part of it. His approach to being a swing is so fun because Terrance has detailed backstories for every role on that stage and gives us a fascinating deep dive on why the psyche of these characters is so important. Shout out to his fellow Capricorns!

This week, Terrance also talks about growing up an introvert who wanted to perform while having to learn to fight for his existence as a "Black feminine gay man in the red South." Terrance explains that his voice, his walk, his *light* didn't allow him to hide, which at the time manifested in anger and trauma but has now led him to a place of growth and strength. None of this is easy by the way, especially when you learn what Terrance went through.

Note: I jump in to remind you before it happens, but towards the end of this episode Terrance tells a traumatic story involving racism, bullying, homophobia, threats of violence, and the description of an incident that took place in a pool that includes a severe injury to Terrance's ear.

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Terrance Martin on Instagram

Terrance Martin VO on Instagram

Terrance's Website

The Black Artists Dance Collective: https://www.tbadcollective.org/ https://www.instagram.com/tbadcollective/?hl=en

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Note: This is the last episode of 2024! I wish you a safe, fun, happy, and healthy holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year. The Hamilcast will be back the first week of January 2025 to kick off the ninth (!!!!!!) year of the podcast.

Nicole deRoux is currently a swing on Hamilton's Philip tour, a role she recently transitioned into after performing as The Bullet for five years (that's over 50 cities and 1,500 performances).

This week, Nicole is taking questions from the Patreon Peeps and talking about the little ways The Bullet is always adding pressure throughout the show, tells me about a PERFECT prank she pulled on Nik Walker, dives into her love of crafting, and explains why she loves being a swing.

Nicole is an artist who loves museums and loves giving handmade gifts to her friends. From collages to junk journals to watercolor paintings of her castmates' specific corsets, Nicole is always looking for ways to express her love in creative ways. And sometimes that means getting bagels for everyone, and who is going to argue with that?!

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Note: This episode was recorded in September of 2024.

Nicole deRoux performed as The Bullet for five years (that's over 50 cities and 1,500 performances) before recently shifting gears and becoming a swing on the Philip Tour.

This week, Nicole talks about her long-term activism and using her platform to speak out and do good work. Additionally, she talks about her incredible mother, who *also* balances the cerebral with the creative: she is a radiologist *and* an artist.

Plus, Nicole explains why everyone needs to lose their mind during the Yorktown dance break and dives into her experience competing for Miss New Jersey including why she did it, what she learned, and why she's never doing it again.

Alex Nicholson's Viral "Black Jobs" Video on TikTok

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Nicole deRoux is here for three episodes to wrap up 2024! Nicole played Woman 3 aka The Bullet on Hamilton's Philip Tour for five years and most recently became a swing, which she absolutely loves.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Nicole has always had a balance between being academic and being creative; she grew up as a competition dancer, went to Drexel University on a dance scholarship, and graduated with a degree in marketing and retail merchandising.

Hamilton was Nicole's first official gig right out of college and after five years of the bullet, performing over 1500 shows in over 50 cities, Nicole started to look towards the future. She jumped at the opportunity to make a change and take on more responsibility and with her post-Hamilton life in mind, she made the decision to turn her world upside down and become a swing.

Nicole is also a big reader and makes a point to exclusively read diverse, non-male authors so she has some great recommendations if you too are sick and tired of the patriarchy.

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Jisel Soleil Ayon (Hamilton's Philip Tour) is back for round two of our engaging and candid chat.

This week, Jisel dives deeper into race and identity talking about her podcast Mixed in the Arts and opening up about her hair journey, where she learned to stop running towards whiteness (as she says) and to really see the beauty within herself.

Jisel also talks about bringing herself to the Schuyler Sisters, being a scare actor on a ship, curating her Spotify based on mood as opposed to artists, how her ideal dinner party guest list is almost exclusively actors from those golden age classics, and why her happy place is "less about the where and more about the who."

Plus, some final thoughts on self-confidence, having a place she can finally call her own, and the heartbreak of the nostalgia for a place you haven't built yet.

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Jisel Soleil Ayon (Hamilton's Philip Tour) is here for two fun, authentic, and very honest episodes.

Jisel grew up watching old musicals and performing as a kid but then she hit college where they do the ridiculous thing of making teenagers pick a major?! Insanity!

While Jisel loved performing, she also wanted a job where she could make a living, so she took her passion for American Sign Language and studied speech pathology and speech therapy. During her second semester, she was cast as Daniela in In the Heights and everything changed. She switched schools, focused on performing, and her career has been thriving since she graduated.

Jisel speaks very candidly about her initial apprehension towards Hamilton, her unexpected casting as a standby for the Schuyler sisters, and how being on tour as an offstage cover can actually be very lonely, especially for a self described "extroverted extrovert."

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Eddie Ortega (Hercules Mulligan and James Madison on Hamilton's Philip Tour) is back for round two and this week Eddie talks connecting to his roots in the Dominican Republic, recounts his awesome time in Chicago (singing at the National Anthem and going to restaurants in The Bear), and we do a deep dive into our astrological charts. Plus, Eddie takes questions from the Patreon Peeps including his fellow cast member Lucas Babcock, who asks him to breakdown his process for "We Know."

Eddie on Instagram

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Eddie Ortega, Marcus Choi, and Jared Howelton performing the National Anthem at the Chicago Bulls game

Asia Ward on Spotify

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Eddie Ortega (Hercules Mulligan and James Madison on Hamilton's Philip Tour) is here to tell you what can happen if you work hard, *really* love what you do, and stay focused. In his first episode, Eddie talks about growing up in Florida and discovering his love of theater as a teenager. After being rejected from Florida State University, he did everything he could to get accepted and start building his career. From making his Dominican-born parents proud with his award-winning performance in Usnavi in In the Heights to seeing the world performing on a cruise ship, all roads seemed to lead to Hamilton.

Eddie on Instagram

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: (8 of 8)

Eddie Ortega, Marcus Choi, and Jared Howelton performing the National Anthem at the Chicago Bulls game

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