Georgia Aspinall Dirty Dancing Touring Musical Music Promotions Interview

You’re currently in the touring production of Dirty Dancing; how is it going? 

Touring is a new experience, but I’m enjoying everything. The only thing with touring is you get so close to your cast members, which, for me, is quite beautiful. If anything, I wish we had two weeks in a specific place, but then that happens in the second half of the tour; it’s nice to experience different places week to week.

Any venues you are looking forward to taking the show to?

When we go over to Island, I’m very excited about that because I have an Irish background. I haven’t been to Ireland since I was pretty young, so it’s nice for me to go back and maybe, you know, fly a little bit rather than just stick to the UK.

Do you get the chance to see the sights when you are on tour?

On some weeks, we have eight shows a week, and on other weeks, we have seven; on the eight show weeks, it is a little bit harder for us to go during a show day. On a Thursday and a Friday, sometimes the cast would all go out to a nice food place, but you’d have to get up quite early to go and look at all the sights.

How did you start your career in theatre? 

Well, I have been dancing since age two. So it was very much; I knew I wanted to be a performer, probably from age three. It was something that I was very good at, understood, and capable of. My mum would take me to dancing classes. I was doing that on top of school. I would dance six days a week, and on the 7th day, I would do a ballroom competition. I was a stagey kid; I would only listen to musicals, and I knew from a young age this was what I wanted to do.

You are very skilled in a variety of dances; what’s the most challenging dance that you’ve learned? And what’s your favourite dance? 

I would say, personally, it would be along the technical ballet side because a lot of it is genetics. My turnout is 180 degrees, but there’s not much you can do with that; your hips are where they are. I feel like Ballet is the core of all dance. I’m very honest with myself because I would never have been able to be a primer ballerina. It would not have been able to be a thing for me, But it’s amazing. It helps aid every other dance style because it’s the core of it.

Can you do much dance training when you are on tour?

it’s tough because when you get to a new location, you would have to locate a gym and you would have to find a dance studio, and realistically, that takes more effort. And when you’re doing eight shows a week anyway, particularly in the track I am doing myself, you don’t want to blow yourself out because you always get that with the eighth show. You can feel that in your body anyway, and recovery and rest is essential to be able to do consistently what we do in the show.

You can also sing; will you release your music one day? 

It’s never say, never. If I came across a group of people who would help me because I’ve never really written my own songs, it’s never been something that I’ve had a talent in, but if I was with someone who was like, oh I’ve written this song I think it’s good for you.

I would never say never to that.

Are there any other theatre shows that come to mind that you’d love to Join? 

It’s hard because some of them I may need to be a little older to do the particular role that I want to do, but to even be in these particular companies would be amazing. I would love to do rent.

I would love to do into the words, Bat Out Of Hell would be fantastic; that is just a few off the top of my head. 

I would love to sing a bit more; that’s probably the only thing I have missed. I’m enjoying it, but the one thing I’m missing is singing.

Musicals turn to movies; would you like to join any on the big screen, or are you happier being on stage?

Being on the screen is such a timeless thing it will always be there. So, you know, your grandkids and great-grandkids can watch the film go, oh, that she is.

The beauty of live theatre is what it is, just whatever is happening at that moment. 

I would love to if the opportunity arises, and it is something I am passionate about, I would love to be in a film adaptation.

But I do enjoy the fact that you leave everything you’ve got on the stage, and then it’s okay, it’s there, and then you do it again the next day, and it’s fine, you know?

Do you have anything lined up after dirty dancing you can discuss? 

There are rumours of an extension, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

What have been some of your career highlights so far? 

Well, this is my first job, funnily enough.

So, I graduated in 2019, and I had to take some time out for myself and my mental wellbeing. I didn’t dance for about two years because of the pandemic and everything like that. So, over the past year, I’ve been very much working on myself finding out who I am again because I’ve only just turned 23 last week actually, I was very young when I graduated, so this, for me, is just a dream come true. This is what I’m living right now is a career highlight, and it always will be.