EP 46: Defying Gravity for 15 Years With Wicked Dance Justin Wirick
From Dance Dad With John Corella by Dance Dad LLC
November 27, 2025 · 1h 7m · Episode 47
About this episode
John Corella revisits his conversation with Justin Wirick, exploring the intersection of grief, queer joy, and the rituals that sustain performers in the Broadway National Tour of Wicked.
Fifteen years in Wicked collide with grief, queer joy and the quiet rituals that keep a performer brave eight shows a week. With part two of the Wicked movie now in theaters, John Corella celebrates the moment by revisiting his conversation with Justin Wirick, a longtime dancer with the Broadway National Tour of Wicked. What begins as a lighthearted holiday replay opens into a layered, intimate look at creativity, identity, resilience and the emotional depth woven into performing the same show thousands of times. Justin shares how ritual, presence and community have sustained him through the demands of touring life, the pressure of staying fresh onstage and the grief of losing his mother. He reflects on the ways Wicked mirrors the lived experiences of queer performers who spend years learning to celebrate the parts of themselves they once hid. This episode is a reminder that the courage to keep showing up for your art and for your truth is its own form of defying gravity. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Welcome and Wicked Movie Celebration 02:00 Justin Wirick on Nerves and Finding His Voice 05:30 Fifteen Years in Wicked and Touring Life 12:44 How Justin Finally Joined Wicked After Three…
People in this episode
Host: John Corella
Guest: Justin Wirick
Topics covered
- performing arts
- queer identity
- grief and resilience
- creativity
- touring life
- Wicked
Keywords
- Wicked
- Justin Wirick
- queer performers
- grief
- touring life
- creativity
- resilience
- performing arts
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Wicked
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