The baby step for 'Movin' Out' actress

Elizabeth Parkinson has been many things, but for the past five years in workshop and onstage in Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's dance musical "Movin' Out," the 41-year-old primarily has been known as Brenda, the leggy "Uptown Girl" with the red dress and the six-pack.

The show returned Wednesday night to Chicago for the first time since its pre-Broadway engagement here in 2002. It has evolved since then, its dialogue-free plot and dance sequences tightened. But the biggest change for Parkinson is one audiences won't notice.

In between garnering a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical (she lost to Marissa Jaret Winokur from "Hairspray") and winning an Astaire Award (given annually to one man, one woman and one choreographer for extraordinary achievement in dance), Parkinson took time out from a hit show to have a baby.

Elizabeth Parkinson says her son, James Wise, 21 months, is already showing a dancer's agility, but his parents aren't pushing him toward a hoofer's life.

I have had a long and complete career. I was a dancer and I definitely wanted to be a mother," Parkinson says. "Getting pregnant was my priority, and I wanted to take the risk and see how things landed."

It was a decision not without risk.

"Historically with ballet companies, women didn't get pregnant mid-career because it basically meant the end of your career," says Sean Kelly, dance captain for the touring company of "Movin' Out." "Over the last 15 years, it's become more and more accepted, though. Most of the time, their bodies look more amazing than when they went out on maternity."

Right around the time Parkinson made the announcement she was pregnant, Anastasia Volochkova was fired from the company of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet for being too fat (she tipped the scales at 110 pounds). Another dancer affiliated with the touring company of "Movin' Out" has filed a suit alleging she was fired because her breast size increased while on disability.

When Parkinson first announced her pregnancy to the Broadway company of the show, it was met with cheers and support from both cast and producers -- with one notable exception.

Tharp -- the show's creator, choreographer and director -- was less than thrilled. As reported in March 2004 by the New York Post, Parkinson's husband, Scott Wise, was fired as the show's assistant director and choreographer after Tharp learned the news. However, Wise continued to dance in the show for the duration of his Actors Equity contract.

Parkinson would like to put that all behind her, refusing to comment on her husband's termination. "I have nothing but love and respect for Twyla," she says. "Obviously, I'm here [in the show], so we are on good terms."

She added that she felt she was treated fairly by both producers and Joel with regard to her pregnancy. "I was also under an Actors Equity contract, so I knew my job was protected," she says.

Contract or not, one of the show's executive producers, Manny Azenberg, says it was a no-brainer to let Parkinson return to the show after maternity leave.

"Liz is terrific in the show and is special all the way down the line," Azenberg says. "As a woman and a dancer, she knows how to place value on both your personal and professional life. Faulting her for wanting a balanced life was never an option.

"In all the years, she never once gave a stiff performance," he adds. "And she did the show through the first three months of her pregnancy."

The dance industry is known to be very body-conscious. And Kelly admits few choreographers are willing to hire anyone who doesn't have a lean body type.

"There is still a certain body aesthetic that is expected of both male and female dancers," Kelly says.

Though Parkinson wasn't worried about getting back in shape after she gave birth, she spent the first trimester of her pregnancy burning calories in the show and then, when on maternity leave, did prenatal pilates and prenatal yoga up to the seventh month.

She returned to the Broadway show in February 2005 five pounds heavier than when she had left 11 months before.

"I know a lot of celebrities seem to have babies and lose the weight immediately," Parkinson says. "I can assure you it was hard to lose the weight."

Elizabeth Parkinson, the "Uptown Girl" in "Movin' On," did the grueling show through the first three months of her pregnancy.

And the last five pounds? Well, the grueling show quickly had Parkinson back in shape -- six-pack abs and all.

"Movin' Out," Parkinson says, is the ideal show for a new mother. Because it is so physically demanding, all the dance roles are double cast, with each lead dancer only required to perform in four shows a week as opposed to the normal eight.

Taking her son James on the road with her wasn't an issue for the dance company, either. Darren Holden, one of two vocalists performing Joel's music nightly on the tour, also brought his young son along.

"We haven't been able to arrange a playdate yet, but soon," Parkinson says with a laugh.
Parkinson says she faces the same challenges all working mothers do. "Like all mothers, there's a part of me that wishes I could just be with him 24 hours a day, but I know it's important to continue to do what I do because it makes me a well-rounded person and a better mother."

Like any mother, Parkinson beams with pride when discussing her son's accomplishments.

"He started walking at 10 1/2 months. He's even beginning to show a dancer's agility," she says.
"We certainly haven't encouraged him to be a dancer, though. While a part of me would love it if he were to become a dancer, the mother in me thinks it's too hard a life."