New Year, New You! Broadway Star Rachelle Rak’s Top Five Tips on How to Drop Swing Into 2015

We’ve been “obsassed” with Rachelle Rak ever since we saw her shaking her goods as the “I Gotcha” girl in Broadway’s Fosse. In the seasons since, she’s proven to be one of New York’s top triple threats (other credits include Cats, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Catch Me If You Can), a TV reality show judge (Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition) and a YouTube standout with music videos of her pop songs including her insanely catchy theme song “Sas.” Now she’s hitting the stage of 54 Below on January 4 and 29 with her brand-new solo show Sas with One 'S', a must see for fans of the cha cha puus™, the balchange™, the drop swing™ and just a really good time. (Yes those all have trademark signs on them because they’re her slogans, kids!) In honor of her new show, we asked Rak to give our readers some hard-earned showbiz advice on how to make the best of 2015. Here are her top five tips for sasing it up in the new year!

1. Put On Your Face to Face the World
"Even if you’re just going to the deli on the corner, remember only you can represent you. And ladies, if you ever think you can get away with wearing a gentle low heel out of the house, stop yourself and remember this is show business. Put on your heels and put on your FACE!”

2. Just Nod and Say Yes to Life’s Twists and Turns
“The greatest lesson in life is happening for me right now! In the last year, I became a new mom to beautiful daughter Delilah Rose and that means I am ON 24/7. I will never rest again! I didn’t know if motherhood was in the cards for me but I’m so thrilled it was…and am so grateful that show business trained me for the endurance and the hours! Just nod and say yes.”

3. Shortcuts Don’t Lead to Success
“In between Broadway gigs, I’ve been blessed with terrific opportunities in regional theaters, like when I played Velma in Chicago at the Ogunquit Playhouse or Sheila in A Chorus Line at Paper Mill Playhouse. You really learn to be a quick study on these jobs. Just be brave, learn your lines and become your character. Dive in, drop swing and GO! But always do the work!”

4. Assume What You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You
“Last year, I got to be a judge of Abby Lee Miller’s Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition on Lifetime. What did I learn from that experience? Never trust Abby! Gagagagaga… And always remember that you are LIVE the moment they put a microphone on your body. Everything you say can be used (and edited!) and usually is. And honestly, isn’t that true in life in general? Watch your mouth!”

5. Get a BFA in “Brave, Fierce, Action!”
“When I was doing the national tour of Flashdance, I was part of a talkback after the show one night and everyone in the cast went down the line saying, 'My BFA is from here' and 'I got my BFA from here.' I was thinking, ‘Molly. I didn’t go to college. I went to Cats.’ So I had to drop swing and I said, ‘My BFA is Brave, Fierce, ACTION!"