The Lion King's Lawrence Keith Alexander on Dance 'Choosing' Him & Feeling Like a Rockstar

Lawrence Keith Alexander has spent most of his life dancing, which is something that he had to fight for. "I wanted to dance but my father said, 'No, this is for girls,'" the Kansas City, MO, native says. "I would always go and try to sneak in [to dance class] with my sister. One day the owner saw me and said that I had to be put in dance so my father and mother finally let me. I feel like dance chose me." As Alexander grew more comfortable on the dance floor, he realized that he was, in turn, becoming more comfortable with himself. "It was like discovering myself in a whole new way," he says. "It was a release of this energy that I'd always kept in me." The young dancer quickly turned to musical theater thanks to the local summer stocks, and he had a chance to work with some of Broadway's biggest stars. "The first show I auditioned for was Oliver! and Donna Murphy was my Nancy. I gagged. She was so amazing." Alexander continued to keep dance at the center of his life by attending the Boston Conservatory, which eventually led him to New York City. "I think about when I first came to New York [flying] over LaGuardia, and you see the big city," he says. "I was just thinking about that this morning. How much of a blessing it is and how awesome it. This is almost my eighth season with The Lion King, but my excitement never changes. You feel like a rockstar up there." With eight years under his belt and endless opportunities in front of him, Alexander still can't believe this is his reality. "To be on a Broadway stage is something very sacred to me, I take it very seriously," he says. "It's one of the biggest blessings and amazing things in my life. It really is."

Watch the video below to watch Alexander talk about discovering himself through dance and more!

Photo Credits: Photographs by Matthew Murphy | Styling:Greg Dassonville for DassonVogue | Grooming: KeLeen Snowgren | Assistant: Evan Zimmerman
Video Credits: Directed by Kyle Gaskell | Produced by Paul Wontorek & Caitlin Moynihan Additional camera: Alexander Goyco | Location: FD Studios