Mount Laurel choreographer Renee Chambers Liciaga jumped at the chance to make dances as part of a September 19 benefit for Newtown, Ct., a community still recovering from the 2012 shooting rampage that claimed 28 lives.
"When I found out the cause, that was my, 'I'm on board,'" says Liciaga, who is choreographing the "Broadway Sings for Newtown" production Thursday at the Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Ct. The show will feature Broadway stars such as Danny Zolli ("Jesus Christ Superstar") and Kate Schindle ("Legally Blonde").
"It's a labor of love," Liciaga says. "A chance to give something back."
A veteran of professional stages in New York, Philadelphia and elsewhere, Liciaga also is a mother of two children: Alexandra, 12, and Christian, 9.
Mother and daughter will dance during the benefit, which is sponsored by a consortium of public and private organizations called Healing Newtown.
"I know, as a performer and a mom, that when I'm dancing on stage with Alexandra, I'm probably going to be crying," Liciaga says. "Music and the arts truly heal."