Tamrin Goldberg: Barnard alum performing as a swing on Broadway

I sat down with Tamrin Goldberg (BC ’12) — a dancer, singer, actor, teacher, and choreographer — to talk about Broadway and the path that led her there.

Photo provided by THE GINGERB3ARDMEN

By Roxy Rassooly

October 31, 2025

Picture this: halfway through a Broadway performance of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” a dancer tweaks a knee. Backstage, Tamrin Goldberg closes her notebook of color-coded track notes, takes a breath, and rushes to change, with just a few minutes to become someone else entirely. This is a scene that she describes as completely possible at any moment. That is the life of a swing on Broadway — equal parts stamina, skill, memory, and flexibility. 

It is a job that demands constant readiness, something Goldberg spent over a decade building toward. A 2012 Barnard graduate with a degree in dance and philosophy, Goldberg now covers nine roles in the “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” ensemble. She made her Broadway debut in 2024 after two and a half years as the dance captain on the first national tour. She came to Broadway with a leader’s mindset and a sense of advocacy that frames art as empathy — skills that have proven essential. Now, night after night, she fulfills her dream of performing in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

On Broadway, a track refers to one performer’s full sequence of choreography, cues, and costume changes. Ensemble tracks belong to the ensemble, while principal tracks are tied to named leads. “Heels” identifies the group of high-heeled dancers. As a swing, Goldberg covers several of these roles, stepping in when someone is out. In her case, this means six heels ensemble tracks, the ensemble tracks of La Chocolat and Arabia, and the principal track of Nini. 

Being a swing means that she has to be ready to perform any of her nine roles at any given time — oftentimes without notice. It is a high-stress job, but Goldberg seems to take it all in stride, citing her note-taking skills as one of the reasons for her ability to toggle between tracks with relative ease. This organization allows her to perform her different roles and weave in and out of them, but this is not the only preparation she does. 

In describing her process, Goldberg shares that, “There is a lot of mental preparation, obviously physical preparation, because you’re not doing the show every night. For me, that’s mostly ballet, Pilates, yoga. There’s also the emotional preparation of every time you go to the theater. You never quite know what’s going to happen.” Her dedication to both the mental and physical aspects of being a swing reflects her passion and dedication to her craft. 

For Goldberg, being on Broadway and performing “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” specifically is a longtime dream realized. A dream she has harbored since she was 11 years old and first saw the movie, which was eventually adapted into the Broadway show. 

“I think the Roxanne sequence in the original movie of ‘Moulin Rouge!’ is one of the most powerful pieces of art that I have ever experienced,” she says. “The way that I reacted as a young dancer shaped so much of where I’ve gone and what I’ve wanted to do.” Goldberg now covers the lead dancer in that very number. 

For Goldberg, taking on the leadership role of dance captain when she was part of the touring company made it so that by the time she arrived on Broadway, she felt fully ready to step into this iconic, ten-time Tony Award-winning show. “I’ve spent so much time feeling imposter syndrome or feeling like I wasn’t good enough or I needed to change this thing about myself or that thing about myself,” Goldberg explained, “but there was something about joining the Broadway company of ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ that just felt so, so right. And so it really feels like the culmination of so much work that I’ve done for basically my entire life.”

As she was talking about taking on this leadership role, Goldberg reflected on the ways that Barnard had a hand in shaping how she approaches her career and life today. One thing that has stayed with her was her 2012 commencement address delivered by former President Barack Obama. His words of wisdom have helped Goldberg navigate her career: “One thing that he said specifically was about fighting for your seat at the table, but more importantly, finding your place at the head of the table. And that’s something that I have really strived to do.” 

This advice has continued to be a guiding force in Goldberg’s life, so much so that after Barnard, she co-founded a dance company in order to create opportunities for herself and her fellow creatives. In an industry built on endless auditions and the uncertainty of waiting for a “yes,” Goldberg has flipped the script and has long since been doing her own choosing, and that, alongside a willingness to show up and work hard, has served her very well.

Barnard, an institution known for its student activism, taught Goldberg to use her artistry as a means of social change as she channels that same spirit into her work. To that end, this role holds tremendous meaning for Goldberg beyond her role as a dancer. “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is about a woman who dies of tuberculosis (TB). Growing up with a TB researcher father, Goldberg understands the cause’s need for funding and research. Now, Goldberg uses her role as a swing to spotlight tuberculosis, the disease at the story’s heart, and raise awareness and funding for the cause. During her time with “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” she has put together three benefit concerts, two of them while she was on tour in Baltimore and Dallas, and one during her time on Broadway this past spring in the West Village. Ultimately, her advocacy work and her love of dance are intertwined, made possible by her can-do spirit and her innate ability to lead. 

When asked what advice she would give to students pursuing the arts, Goldberg encouraged anyone at Barnard to take a dance class, “whether or not you have ever danced a day in your life.” Goldberg shared that, “The way that I experience the world has so much to do with my body and with sensation, and I feel that you are able to live a fuller life if you have an understanding of the way that your body moves through the world.” Students at this institution lead extremely busy, fast-paced lives — dance, according to Goldberg, is a way to slow down and find grounding in that chaos. 

Her final remarks were quite indicative of her overall disposition and of her undoubtedly bright and long career ahead. While Goldberg is unafraid to lead and to take space, she does so with the grace and spirit of someone who gets to live their dream every day. “I think it’s a gift to be able to perform as a dancer. But almost more importantly than that, I just feel so lucky to be able to dance.”