Broadway performer becomes teacher to inspire next generation
WILMINGTON, Delaware (WPVI) -- "I knew at four years old, I said, Mom, I'm going to dance with Mickey Mouse, travel around the world, do Broadway and then I'm going to teach it," said Renee Chambers-Liciaga.
Call it destiny, but Chambers-Liciaga worked for decades to make that dream come true.
Born in Philadelphia and residing in New Jersey, the all-around talent grew up in a musical family.
"My father, the late Roland Chambers, played for Marvin Gaye and anyone who was anyone in the Philadelphia Sound," she said. "And my mom was in the doo-wop group with the Orlons who toured with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown himself."
Chambers-Liciaga took her unique perspective as a witness to music history and carved her own path to success. She toured the world with several Broadway companies, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and West Side Story. She was also a performer in Tokyo Disneyland.
"And now, I'm here in Delaware at the Tower Hill School, teaching and pouring my wisdom and my years of experience into this next generation," she said.
Students can't seem to get enough of Chambers-Liciaga's boundless enthusiasm for the performing arts. Her second-grade class in particular is enthralled to learn a Turkey Disco dance for Thanksgiving.
"My teacher is very nice," said student Avery Helfgott. "She always is teaching us new things and if I didn't have her, I wouldn't be able to be on this stage."
But this little Broadway is a two-way street.
"The children have the wonder and the curiosity about life," said Chambers-Liciaga. "So, they teach me and bless me as much as I teach them."
To learn more about Tower Hill School, visit their website.
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