Uptown Girl.

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Author: Garcia, Rena

The musical Movin' Out, which hits Austin November 1-6 and San Antonio November 8-13, marries the dance genius of choreographer Twyla Tharp and the catchy music of pop icon Billy Joel. Holly Cruikshank, who performs the lead role of Brenda, dishes on the unconventional production.

So Movin' Out isn't quite your typical Broadway show. Twyla conceived the whole thing from Billy's song "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant," and the story is told only through dance and lyrics. It takes place in the sixties and seventies, through the Vietnam War, and it's about these five friends and their journey--with love, depression, women's rights--through those decades. The band is onstage with us, so it's like a rock concert.

What styles of dance? We all have a strong ballet technique, but you're not going to see guys in tights. There's every style. The choreography is inventive; it tells the story in a more pedestrian way while also combining the craziest lifts and jumps and turns.

Do you have a favorite number? There's a passionate duet between me and the dancer David Gomez's character, Tony, to the most beautiful song, "Shameless." Our characters are rediscovering each other after Vietnam. It's, like, seven minutes long.

What's it like working with Twyla? Oh, God--it's the most intimidating thing ever and the most fulfilling. She's in her sixties and probably, like, five-two, and she gets up and does yoga, goes to the gym, rehearses dance steps. She's always on the go. She's a legend. (See pages 32 and 50.)

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By Rena Garcia