“There is a castle on a cloud, I like to go there in my sleep,” sings 9-year-old Parkland resident, Emily Jewel Hoder, in her solo as Little Cosette in the national Broadway touring company of “Les Misérables (Les Miz).”
Standing 49.5-inches tall (the half inch is very important, as she must recite this for casting directors) and weighing in at 51 lbs., Hoder is already a triple threat. And like Shirley Temple before her – can sing, dance, act and charm an audience right out of their seats.
With a career that began at the age of 7 at the Wick Theatre in Boca Raton playing Molly in “Annie,” alongside Sally Struthers as Miss Hannigan and George Dvorsky as Daddy Warbucks, Hoder was on the Les Miz tour when the pandemic struck.
“I didn’t let it (the pandemic) stop me from doing what I love,” says Hoder. “Les Miz is the most amazing experience of my whole life.”
With the tour, Hoder traveled to six different cities in two-and-a-half months, including Springfield, MO, Kalamazoo, MI, CIncinnati, OH, Sarasota, FL, Greenfield, SC and Durham, NC where the tour abruptly ended in mid-March.
Her dad, Eric Hoder, a chiropractor, flew out to attend each show.
Performing “Castle on a Cloud” alone on stage was the highlight for Hoder.
“I could see Patrick Dunn (Jean Valjean) and Preston Truman Boyd (Inspector Javert) fighting through the curtain,” she says. “That was the coolest part.”
As a performer, Hoder admires Dunn and says, “He’s a great singer and so cool and funny.”
Performing her solo on stage, Hoder denies feeling nervous and says, “I feel happy and in the moment. I love to perform. My favorite part is making eye contact and connecting with the audience.”
In 2018 Hoder took third-place and $100 at the Coral Springs Got Talent competition for her dance solo and won her first national title as the Believe National overall winner for her solo jazz-acro dance at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
Back in Parkland, Hoder has been using her free time during quarantine to network, dance, take classes at Performance Edge Two studio in Boca Raton and perform in three shows at the Wick Theatre.
Through social media, she connected with Tiler Peck, principal dancer of the New York CityBallet, and performed live on Peck’s Instagram feed.
Hoder also has a role in director Brian Schmidt’s feature film, “Payton’s Caper,” and appeared in a music video for Israeli singer Gad Elbaz.
“We’re very proud of Emily,” says her mom, Caroline Hoder, a stay-at-home mom who became Emily’s production crew, IT person and helps her run her lines.
Despite having so much disappointment this year (the tour ended and Broadway closed) Emily continues to connect with people virtually,” says Caroline Hoder.
“I’m happy to support her dreams,” says Caroline Hoder, who was on a similar track as a child, performing at the Swap Shop Circus and with the Miami City Ballet.
“She keeps going and brings joy to others,” she says. “We’re blessed to be able to be home with her and we make a good team.”
A former student at Riverglades Elementary, Hoder is now enrolled in Florida Virtual School and when she’s not rehearsing or taking classes loves to play with her 5-yr. old sister, Sunny, and her two cats, Buttercup and Oreo.
Her advice for other children pursuing similar dreams is “You have to be yourself because you are your biggest cheerleader.”
What are her post-pandemic plans?
Hoder plans to return to New York, says her mom. She has her eye on the “Music Man” (for which she auditioned twice and danced for five consecutive hours, surviving all the cuts).
“Emily wants to inspire other kids to do what they love,” says Caroline Hoder. “Even if they can’t act, dance or sing, they should follow their dreams.”
“I advise other parents to be aware of what your kids are interested in and nurture that,” she says.
Marilyn Wick, CEO of the Wick Theatre says, “Emily has performed many times at The Wick throughout the years, most recently in our Christmas show this past December.”
“Every time she is on stage, she delights the audience with her talent and innate charisma,” says Wick. “She is quite the performer and has been trained very well.”
“We are all expecting big things from this young lady,” Wick says.
To see Emily Jewel Hoder perform, visit Dancekidemily on YouTube and on Instagram: emilyjewel7.
Revised Feb 2nd, 2021 based on updates from the contributor
