From the Broadway stage to the international stage, Maddie Love’s dancing is stunning. She has an uncanny ability to pull off choreography fluidly but with a harsh accent that has a raw, earthy quality. While this unique movement style may have intimidated her at first, it has become her superpower, leading her to some of the most coveted gigs, including playing Madonna’s doppelgänger on her Celebration Tour.
Current projects: Madonna’s Celebration Tour
age: 30
hometown: Layton, Utah
train: Dance Impressions (Farmington, Utah), New York City Dance Alliance, Marymount Manhattan College
honor: Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show Bob Fosse’s Dance
Inspire others: Andy Pellik vividly remembers noticing Love’s “special sauce” when she took his jazz class at NYCDA around age 12. Over the years, while doing choreography, “she gave you things you didn’t know you wanted,” he said. “She inspired choreographers, teachers or other dancers by moving in a way that you didn’t even know was possible. She was able to become a muse to many people, including myself.
Swing successfully: Love served as a corps dancer on national tours evil Before the pandemic shutdown, she rejoined as a swinger when the show returned. “The more pieces I learn, the easier it actually becomes to memorize them because I can understand where everyone is at any given time,” she said. “Swinging almost feels like an out-of-body experience. I can see things in slow motion.
Dancing dream: “Love” won the Chita Rivera Award for its Broadway run last year Bob Fosse’s Dance. “That show was a dancer’s dream,” she said. “It’s so heartfelt yet nuanced, and it captures the essence of everything I wanted to be and portray.” She loves her actors, too. “When you like everyone you work with and have real friendships, it’s a game-changer. This was the first time I was fully myself in a show. We all did it.”
explore the world: When Love joins Madonna on her world tour, which currently runs through April with 79 stops in Europe and North America, she takes time to adjust to the schedule, sometimes rehearsing until 2 or 3 a.m. (The choreography is credited to a creative cast including (LA)HORDE, Valeree Young, Matt Cady, Damien Jalet, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Mecnun Giasar, Megan Lawson and Nicolas Huchard.) Now that she’s up to speed, she Take advantage of opportunities to immerse yourself in new cultures on tour. “I love going to the gym, and I’ve been taking classes in different languages,” she said. “I’m also interested in body language, so it’s fun to sit in a café and learn from the person in front of you.”
Not just clothes: Love, who documents her funky, fun personal style on social media, finds comfort in using fashion as another way to express herself. She’s interested in eventually bringing some of that sensibility into clothing design.
Growth and trust: “Dance has saved me many times and gotten me through many heartbreaking moments,” Love said. “I have more of a voice now. I know I have something to offer, and I’m finding that it’s being accepted. I believe that even though I may not always feel like I fit in, I know I belong here.
