At helenapadial’s middle school production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” Chita Rivera—yes, that Chita Rivera—came to watch. When she met the musical theater legend backstage, Padial burst into tears of disbelief, and Rivera gave her a hug. Fast-forward to 2026 and Padial, at 21, has been named Broadway’s Next Triple Threat, a new award created by the chitaawards and nycda. Since March, the Elon University senior had made it through two video rounds of evaluations by a panel of Broadway icons before an intense training workshop in NYC, ending with the awards gala. Padial took some time to chat with dancespiritmagazine about the competition, her dreams, and what it means to be a triple threat. Read the full interview at the link in our bio! ⭐ 📝: kirouette 📸(1-3): Photos courtesy The Chita Rivera Awards/New York City Dance Alliance. Helena Padial giving her acceptance speech for the Broadway’s Next Triple Threat Award; From left: Helena Padial accepting the Broadway’s Next Triple Threat Awar...