Bianca Marroquín

Early life and education

Marroquín was born in Monterrey, Mexico and raised in the twin border cities of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas, where she studied ballet, jazz, flamenco, and tap at Bellas Artes Academy. She attended Saint Joseph Academy for high school. After graduation, Marroquín returned to Monterrey to study Communications.

Career

Bianca Marroquín became part of the Mexico City cast of Beauty and the Beast, so she decided to move to Mexico City and start her professional theatre career. She performed in Mexican productions of several Broadway musicals: Rent (1999–2001), The Phantom of the Opera, and Chicago, which landed her an invitation to perform as Roxie Hart, with George Hamilton as Billy Flynn, at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway. Afterward, she returned to Mexico City to close the Chicago season and join The Vagina Monologues Mexican cast.

She left The Vagina Monologues when she received the (???missing words???) since then, in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Her recent off-Broadway work has included And the World Goes 'Round in October 2007 and the North Shore Music Theatre production of Bye Bye Birdie in summer 2008.

In the Mexican production of The Sound of Music, she starred as Maria, alongside Lisardo and Olivia Bucio. After 100 performances she returned to work in the USA national tour of the Chicago company. She announced on her Twitter and Facebook page that she was joining the Broadway cast of In the Heights from June 12 to September 5, 2010 to play the role of Daniela.

Starting in 2010, Marroquín made a return to television as a judge for Mira Quien Baila (the Spanish language version of Dancing with the Stars) for four years running. She also appeared in Pequenos Gigantes in 2011. From there, Televisa picked her up as the main protagonist of the new telenovela Esperanza del Corazón. It premiered on July 18, 2011 in Mexico. She also sings the theme song to the novela, titled "Esperanza del Corazón".

She was Mary Poppins in the first production of the Disney musical in Spanish in November 14, 2012 in Mexico City.

Bianca Marroquín is a judge for the current season of "Bailando por un Sueño", a reality competition show seen on Univision. She returned once more to the starring role of Roxie Hart in the long-running Broadway hit Chicago on March 31, 2014. That same month, Marroquín was named the first-ever National Ambassador for Viva Broadway. The Broadway League of producers created the new audience development initiative to help bridge the world of Broadway with Latino audiences around the country.

Morroquin's first solo album, El Mundo Era Mío (The World Was Mine) was released May 13, 2014. She co-wrote five of the songs on the 11-track album, which is described as a mix of contemporary pop with a healthy splash of Latin influence, with songs in both English and Spanish.

Awards and honors