Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Dance, Bachelor of Arts in Biology, UNC Charlotte (2017)
Entering UNC Charlotte as a biology major, Alex Aguilar '17 did not expect to end up where he is today. Now, as a cast member of the region's professional theatre company, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, along with being cast in roles with Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, Alex has made a name for himself in the Charlotte theatre scene. "I grew up originally in South Florida where I learned to dance at home because my mother was a dancer and my step-father was a percussionist," he shares. "It wasn't until high school that I began to perform in musical theatre. Growing up as a native Spanish speaker with dyslexia, reading was always a challenge for me. So imagine how terrified I'd be at auditions doing cold readings. That all changed when I got cast as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream."
"At that moment, I knew anything was possible. 'If a Spanish-speaking kid with dyslexia can read and learn Shakespeare, he could survive anything,' I thought to myself. From there, I auditioned for every musical I could because I loved to sing and dance, but my technique was not up to par with my peers. I understood rhythm and I had natural movement ability because of the Latin dances I learned at home, but I lacked the technique of other dances that were used in shows I wanted to be cast in. So, I decided to push myself as a performer and added dance as my second major at UNC Charlotte. Not only did it provide me with the skills to better myself as a dancer, but the program also provided me with many life lessons I hold on to this day," he continues.
After graduation, Alex was immediately cast in Children's Theatre of Charlotte's resident touring company, traveling the southeast performing professional theatre. He performed on the road for two years until COVID-19 shut the company down. Shortly after the shutdown, he was hired to manage their social media and public relations as their "Social Media Maven," which he has been doing since. "I still continue to perform for Children's Theatre when I get the chance. This past spring we did Tomás and the Library Lady where I got to play young Tomás Rivera and starting July 11, I will be workshopping a new musical called Catching the Moon, which we are adapting from the book by Crystal Hubbard called "Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream." In February 2023, I will also be in the new musical Allie Kanzan and the Magic Mansion. Children's Theatre isn't the only company I perform with though. I just closed a show with the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center called Charlotte Squawks: NC-17 (below) which is a meme-musical celebrating its 17th year poking fun at Charlotte and national news. I also just accepted the role of Scott in Evil Dead the Musical at the Actor's Theatre of Charlotte," he shares.
"My favorite thing about UNC Charlotte's Department of Dance is the faculty," he recalls. "There is no group as loving, welcoming, and talented as these professors. I remember going to my first Faculty Dance Concert before joining the department and afterward thinking how much I needed to learn from these individuals. Not only are they dancers, but they are scholars and masters of their craft. I am forever thankful for my journey as a dancer, performer, and student because of this department."
He continues, "The skills you learn within the Department of Dance at UNC Charlotte will not only propel your career as a dancer but will prepare you for the rest of your life. In my career here, I learned various dance techniques, I learned how to view the world through various lenses, I learned to trust my artistry but also listen to constructive criticism, and I learned my strengths (and my opportunities for growth). If you want to learn and grow as a dancer and a person, then this department is right for you."
Alex credits Unconquered Solidarity XVI, a piece created for the 2016 Spring Dance Concert choreographed by Associate Professor of Dance Kim Jones, as one of his favorite projects to date (pictured above). "While I have been performing professionally since graduating, performing that number for the dance concert is still one of my favorite projects. It was because our of rehearsal process. It was a raw space and a collaboration between artists. We were all vulnerable in our truths and put the work together with Professor Jones. And, fortunately enough, this rehearsal process is something that's shared within the department. They want us to be artists and value our input. We also performed the piece outside of campus for younger students, opening my eyes to the importance of taking art into schools with residencies and performances," he continues.
"Ironically enough, that's what I did for two years with Children's Theatre, so I suppose that I was inspired. In my professional career, my favorite project would have been Tomás and the Library Lady (below) because it was the first time I got to play a story about the Latin-American experience where the lead was also Latin. I would love to see more stories told about people of color by people of color," he says.
