Tootsie's Leslie Donna Flesner on Still Getting Butterflies in Her Eighth Broadway Show

It's been 11 years since Leslie Donna Flesner packed up her bags in Miami Beach, Florida and headed to New York City. Now, Flesner is dancing in Tootsie, which marks her eighth Broadway show. "My mom put me in dance class at a really young age," Flesner said. "I had all the energy and she didn't know what to do with me." After quickly falling in love with ballet and even attending a ballet academy in middle school, a trip to New York City changed everything. "My first Broadway show was Annie Get Your Gun starring Bernadette Peters," she said. "Something clicked. I thought to myself, 'Wait a minute: I can dance and be on stage and merge my two loves of musical theater and ballet together!'" After making her Broadway debut in 2009's Finian's Rainbow, Flesner made her way through some of the most dance-centric musicals like An American in Paris and Hello, Dolly! "I'm constantly inspired by my peers right now," she said. "Anytime I go see a Broadway show, I think, 'Oh my God! There's so many talented people in this business.' I'm so excited to be a part of this Broadway world. I'm super inspired by Broadway moms right now. I always wondered, 'Can you have it all?' You certainly can because there are women that are moms and are dancing eight shows a week and thriving." Although Flesner has been on Broadway for over a decade, she still feels like she's making her debut every night. "I still get those little butterflies when I hear the overture." she said. "I still get this little shiver of, 'I'm living my dream and I get to dance on Broadway tonight.' I'm so thankful that I still feel that way. And I hope to feel that way for as long as I'm in this business."

Watch the video below to watch Flesner talk about finding her confidence and more!

Photo Credits: Photographs by Matthew Murphy | Styling: David Withrow | Grooming: Morgan Mabry | Assistant: Evan Zimmerman & Sydney Goodwin
Video Credits: Directed by Kyle Gaskell | Produced by Paul Wontorek & Caitlin Moynihan | Additional camera: Alexander Goyco | Location: FD Studios