Courtesy of Paul Kolnik

Nikki Snelson plays Cassie, a role she dreamed of playing as a child.

Courtesy of Paul Kolnik A touring company is coming to Los Angeles for a seven-week run of the 1975 musical "A Chorus Line" at the Ahmanson Theatre.

When their final rehearsal wrapped up in New York a few weeks ago, members of the touring cast of "A Chorus Line" laid on the ground to meditate. Leading the session was Baayork Lee, who created the role of Connie Wong in the original 1975 production and is choreographing the current Broadway revival and national tour.

Lee told the troupe she was "giving the show" — the music, stories and "A Chorus Line" creator Michael Bennett's dance steps — to the dancers. It was their job, she said, to keep alive the legacy of the iconic musical, which explores the lives of dancers auditioning for a Broadway show. The touring company will arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday for a seven-week run at the Ahmanson Theatre. Directing the show is Bob Avian, who served as co-choreographer on the original New York production.

When Lee spoke, one dancer who took her words to heart was Nikki Snelson, who portrays Cassie, the onetime star who is struggling for a spot "on the line" with the young, hungry dancers.

It's a position Snelson knows well. She was up for a different role in the Broadway revival, but was cut near the end.

"There's a documentary coming out about those of us trying to make it, and apparently I'm featured heavily," said Snelson, who is now able to laugh while retelling the tale. "I was heartbroken. But if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have gotten to originate the role of Brooke in Legally Blonde,' which was one of the best experiences of my life. And now I get to come back to A Chorus Line,' and as Cassie, the quintessential dancer's part."

Snelson wanted to play Cassie before she fully understood what musical theater was. As a second-grader living in St. Louis, she was frequently sick and missed a lot of school. She spent much of that time lying in bed watching the movie version of "A Chorus Line" over and over.

Later that year, the musical came to town and Snelson persuaded her mom to buy tickets.

"I knew then that I needed to be taking dance lessons and voice lessons, and I needed to join the drama club," she said.

She broke into the professional ranks at 16, and her already lengthy career includes the Broadway revivals of "Sweet Charity" and "Annie Get Your Gun." Now that she's finally in "A Chorus Line," she's ecstatic.

Having starred in "A Chorus Line" herself, Lee understands full well how the show can resonate with young performers like Snelson. Even so, she admits she had no idea the show was going to be a hit until the first preview.

Lee made her stage debut in "The King and I" at the age of 5, and continued to perform as she got older. She met Bennett in high school and went on to appear in several New York shows choreographed by him, including "Henry, Sweet Henry" and "Seesaw."

Both of those shows were flops, so Lee didn't think much of it when Bennett asked her to take part in a workshop where dancers shared personal and sometimes intimate anecdotes.

Those stories were developed by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante into the book for "A Chorus Line." Marvin Hamlisch created the music and Edward Kleban penned the lyrics. Bennett, influenced by the steps he saw at the New York discos, developed the choreography with Avian, and Lee served as his assistant, while also performing as Connie.

"I felt very exposed during the process," she explained. "We had to give ourselves over to Michael Bennett, to trust him and have confidence in him. I didn't think anyone would be interested in my story. But during the previews we were told that there were all these limousines out front. Jackie Onassis was there with her children. Diana Ross was there. I thought, Oh my goodness, we might be on to something.'"

The show's entire off-Broadway run sold out, and "A Chorus Line" moved to Broadway, where it remained for 15 years.

Since that time Lee has directed several other "Chorus Line" productions.

"I've gone off and done many other things, but I always return to this show because I love it," she said. "It's important to continue Michael Bennett's legacy. I tell the new dancers that I am passing along these steps exactly as he gave them to me."

Now it's time for Snelson and company to bring the show to a whole new generation.

— E-mail freelance columnist Jeff Favre at jjfavre@yahoo.com.