ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the mix of hip-hop, street dance, and more traditional dance styles in the choreography of the 2016 musical Hamilton. The mix of styles produces an eclectic but effective movement signature, which propels the show from beginning to end. Three-time Tony Award-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler’s greatest achievement in Hamilton is his assemblage of both original and traditional movements and gestures that connect directly to the show’s narrative, and build a sophisticated, moving stage picture on the relatively simple wooden boardwalk set. Hamilton opens with the backstory of how orphaned Alexander Hamilton, living in the West Indies with his cousin, comes to live in New York City. There, he makes inroads, initially by pestering fellow orphan and eventual rival Aaron Burr about how to finish college in two years. The opening prologue, titled simply “Alexander Hamilton,” sums up Hamilton’s formative years prior to his arrival in the United States.
