Hadestown's Kim Steele on Why Dancing Makes Her Feel 'Extraterrestrial'

Kim Steele made her Broadway debut in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and recently helped usher the underground world of Hadestown back to Broadway. Here, Steele talks about being inspired by classic musicals, the complicated emotions of achieving one's dreams, and why dancing makes her "feel like an alien."

Steele's love for Broadway began at a young age thanks to her mother who would put on classic movie musicals while working from home. "I was first introduced to dance as a toddler through Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, South Pacific, Sound of Music—all the classics. I fell in love. I have been single minded about musical theater since I was 10 years old. There was never really anything else for me."

After graduating from UCLA, Steele moved to New York to pursue a Broadway career."When I first moved to New York, I slept outside the theater for 21 hours to get a ticket to Hamilton during the week of the Tonys. Seeing the actors on stage and them seeing me because I was sitting in the third row, I was way over the top crying. I just saw myself up there and knew that this was it."

Steele went on to make her Broadway debut in 2018. "The main thing I remember about making my Broadway debut was feeling terrified at all times. When a dream that you've had for 15 years is realized, there's a whole host of complex emotions that come with it. I was very scared, but I was overjoyed. I was proud of myself. It takes your artistry to the next level when you feel confident that what you are delivering is authentically you. Hadestown definitely allows me to do that because the choreography is so freeing. Everyone is unique and everyone is celebrating themselves within the movement."

This is just the beginning for Steele, who played her final performance in Hadestown in December 2021. "Dance makes me feel transcendent. I feel privileged and a little bit like an alien actually. Like an extraterrestrial who gets to put on a costume and makeup and make believe and move my body and feel the music and share my art. It's just so extraterrestrial."

Watch the interview below, and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.