12 Performers Show What It Takes to Make It in New York
Watch a dozen great performers at work, from an opera singer and a subway dancer to Princess Nokia and Kelli O’Hara.
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Highlights
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times Princess Nokia on Remaking Rap for a Queer, Feminist New York
The 26-year-old built a rabid fan base of outcasts. She talked to us about creating a safe space for her audience.
By Matthew Schnipper
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Creditvia Melissa Thomas I’m a Veteran Without PTSD. I Used to Think Something Was Wrong With Me.
I couldn’t understand why I was able to move on from my traumatic experiences until I joined a PTSD study.
By Melissa Thomas
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times She Came to New York for the Vogue Ballroom Scene. She Found a Family.
Kendra Westwood isn’t just a dancer — she’s also the head of a “kiki” house.
By Lizzie Feidelson
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times Last of a Rare Breed: The Manhattan Piano Player
Earl Rose, 72, still works in a forgotten New York nightlife of elegant sophistication.
By Mark Binelli
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times How to Be a Principal Ballerina at 41
Stella Abrera needs total physical discipline — and lots of Advil — to stay at the top.
By Rivka Galchen
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times A Sword Swallower’s Tough Act
Nobody taught Betty Bloomerz how to swallow a sword. She just figured it out — one inch at a time.
By Jamie Lauren Keiles
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times A 13-Year-Old Gospel Singer and the Hard Work of Making Music Your Life
Mekhi Bratton’s grandma rides the train with him, two hours each way, to rehearse and perform.
By Susan Dominus
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times He’s a Professional Dancer, But His Stage Is the E Train
Ikeem Jones dazzles commuters for as long as it takes to make $100.
By Jaime Lowe
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times How Kelli O’Hara Gets Ready for Broadway, Night After Night
The Tony-winning actress takes us inside her dressing room and shares her two-hour pre-curtain regimen.
By Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times The Nonstop Life (and Latin Beats) of Pedrito Martinez
When you’re fluent in this many musical styles, the gigs never end.
By Wesley Morris
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times The Life of a Working Female Comic: Late Nights, an 11-Year-Old in Tow
Bonnie McFarlane has toured and done TV work — but she still runs the Manhattan club circuit to stay sharp.
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times This Performer Has to Master 14 Parts at Once, and Let Go of His Ego
Angelo Soriano is a “swing” in a Broadway musical — ready to play nearly any role, night after night after night.
By Scott Heller
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CreditBrenda Ann Kenneally for The New York Times How Does a Normal Person Transform Into an Opera Singer?
Ying Fang lives in the modern world most of the week, conserving her soprano voice with silence, stretching and sleep. Until it’s time to go onstage.
By Sam Anderson
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