Ryan Steele, who is taking Broadway by storm as “Specs” in Disney’s Newsies, had no false illusions about what awaited him at auditions in New York. He credits Dori Matkowski of Dance Dynamics Performing Arts Center in Michigan for recognizing that being prepared for anything and everything is the key to success.

“Miss Dori instilled in me everything I would ever need to know about professionalism. At ten, I already had what I needed to pursue a professional dance career: I knew how auditions would run and I had a resume and an 8×10 head shot. I even knew what colors looked best on me. Miss Dori also understood that success depends on versatility. She literally used to push me through the door to take voice lessons. But now I’m so glad she did. When I moved to New York, everything she had taught me helped take the shock away.”

Photo by Deen Van Meer, courtesy of Ryan Steele