When Dabria Aguilar moved to New York in late 2022, her biggest dreams were to star in Moulin Rouge! on Broadway and to dance in a contemporary ballet company. A little over a year later, she not only accomplished both goals, but also spent a dazzling season in the Radio City ensemble Christmas show:as well. Between Aguilar’s exceptional technique, boundless versatility and captivating stage presence, it’s hard to predict where the 20-year-old will end up. For now, he hopes to call Moulin Rouge! at home as long as possible.
Aguilar began dancing at age 3 at a competition studio in Somerville, South Carolina called United We Dance. After 10 years as a competitive dancer (and a quick one-year stint at nearby Southern Strutt), she switched gears to focus on the worlds of classical and contemporary ballet. “This movement has always inspired me and I’ve been interested in the life of a concert company,” says Aguilar. That curiosity led her to the Charleston Conservatory of Dance, under the tutelage of former New York City Ballet dancer Lindy Mandrajeff Fabianich. “I would train there in the afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., take a half-hour break, then go back again from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.,” Aguilar says of his schedule at the time. “I did online school through middle school, and by the time I got to my public high school, I had taken enough classes to only attend in the mornings.” Along with studying at the conservatory, Aguilar spent her summers in programs like Boston Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. But by the time she graduated high school at 17, she was less sure she wanted to close herself off to opportunities other than concerts. “I applied to a lot of schools, but I was really set on Juilliard,” Aguilar says. “When I didn’t get in, I had to rethink things. My dance teacher, Dale Lam, recommended that I look into the CLI Conservatory, directed by Teddy Forance. She felt she could offer everything I was looking for—especially when it came to staying open to different genres.” As it turned out, Lam was right. Aguilar was accepted to CLI and moved to Easthampton, Massachusetts, to attend the inaugural year of the program. “We danced our faces off,” she says. “We did every style you can think of, and I spent those nine months learning about myself mentally, emotionally, and physically.”
By the time she finished the program, Aguilar was signed to Clear Talent Agency and ready to enter the professional world. On her first day in New York in the fall of 2022, she got a call back for Troy Schumacher’s contemporary company, BalletCollective, and immediately booked the job. Her good fortune continued when she was invited to a workshop with Twyla Tharp for her 2023 season at The Joyce Theatre. Simultaneously with these jobs, Aguilar auditioned for Radio City Christmas show: ensemble and join a substitute workshop for: Moulin Rouge! on Broadway. She booked Moulin Rouge! workshop in April and fell in love with the show. “After I was done, I just waited and hoped that I would be chosen to join the cast when a spot opened up,” she says. But the universe had a different timeline in mind. She got a call from her agent at the end of May and said she would be in the ensemble of Christmas show:. “I was in the car with my mom in South Carolina when I got the call, and sharing the moment with my parents was everything I could have dreamed of and more. To see their pride — I just felt so blessed.”
A week after rehearsals for Radio City, Aguilar received another call from his agent. This time it was during her lunch break. “I ran outside to discreetly answer the call and the agent said, ‘Are you ready?’ I was already crying when I asked ‘What for?’ Aguilar remembers. “He said they asked me to join the Broadway cast Moulin Rouge! like a swing and had the biggest smile on my face. I was such a mess going back to rehearsal right after.” After Christmas show: wrapped, Aguilar immediately dove head first Moulin Rouge!. “I thought, ‘How lucky am I to be so exhausted?'” she says. Since then, Aguilar says she’s learned a lot about herself as a performer and artist. “When I sing ‘Gitchi, Gitchi Ya Ya’ [lyrics of the song “Lady Marmalade”]I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be and I’m full of happiness,” she says.
Aguilar credits her faith with helping her get to this point in her career. “My faith is my foundation and I’ve relied on it through everything,” she says. “I knew everything was in God’s timing. I had so much trust and faith in him that I had no anxiety whatsoever. I knew this dream was placed in my heart for a reason, and I wouldn’t have wanted it so badly if it wasn’t meant to happen.” As for her goals for the future? She’s keeping an open mind. “Whatever opportunity presents itself in the right way at the right time that I feel personally connected to, I will accept it.”
Age: 20:00 hours
Favorite dessert: “A good piece of chocolate cake.”
The class she can’t get enough of. “Josh Asor – he’s so good!”
Product She Swears By: “[Patrick Starrr’s] ONE/SIZE Ultimate Blurring Fixing Powder.”