On his commands, the dancers paced around the room, trying not to bump into one another. To do so, Mann said, they had to feel each other’s movements, to sense where the other person would turn before they moved. Learning to do so was key to becoming a great performer, he said.

“Try to sense things before they happen,” Mann said. “That’s what’s exciting. That’s what’s visceral. That’s how you’ll become great.”

In another room, Mann’s wife, Charlotte d’Amboise, led a group through the footwork for “Easy Street,” from the musical “Annie.” She counted eight-step patterns on a beat as three rows of dancers followed behind her.

Mann and d’Amboise are both Broadway legends. Mann’s breakout role came as the Rum Tum Tugger in the popular musical “Cats” in the 1980s. He originated the role of Javert in the play “Les Miserables,” the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast,” and he can currently be seen in the Netflix series “Sense8.” D’Amboise also played in “Cats,” where she met Mann and became friends with current Maryland Delegate Kathy Afzali, R-District 4, who herself was a dancer before entering politics. D’Amboise took on the role of Roxie in “Chicago” in 2005.

The couple arrived in Middletown on Monday to teach a musical theater workshop for performers ages 13 to 22. Afterward, they held auditions for their two-week summer workshops, which they hold in New York City and in Charlotte, North Carolina. Afzali said she asked the couple if they would come after her daughter Annabelle, 17, a senior at Middletown High School, began showing an interest in dancing. Annabelle Afzali takes dance lessons at the Dee Buchanan dance studio.

Dee Buchanan, owner of the studio, said she was thrilled to have such high-profile performers teaching her students.

“This is not something you get every day.” she said. “I think we’re all in awe.”

Kenzie DuMars, 16, a junior at Middletown High School, said Mann’s feedback gave her a boost of confidence.

“He’s someone that I look up to so much,” she said. “To hear such positive things from him, I don’t know how to express it.”

DuMars said she’s been dancing seriously since the fifth grade. After school every Monday through Thursday, she spends up to five hours in the studio learning new dance styles, including jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop and musical theater. She’s also taking vocal lessons, she said.

Each day of practice includes a period of warm-ups, of turns and leaps across the floor, and patterns where she learns to move her body in one place. Every week she learns a new combination, which she adds to the one from the prior week. After a few months, she’s learned a whole new style of dance, she said.

“Your body begins to move entirely in that style,” she said. “It sort of becomes you.”

Mann said the best performers he’s seen are not always the most talented. When he’s looking for dancers for his workshops, he tries to point out the people who have obvious enthusiasm, and can be taken over by their role, he said.

“We want the people with obvious passion,” Mann said. “Performing is a mix of talent, passion and curiosity. I’ve seen people with talent who don’t have passion, and they’re never good. It’s the passion that counts.”

During the workshop, Mann taught performance techniques for musical theater; d’Amboise taught dance technique and choreography. More than 40 students attended. The entry fee was $50.

Kevin Swann, 18, said he tried not to let the celebrity of his new teachers get into his head. He knows how hard he’s worked, and that work will eventually pay off, he said.

“I’m trying just to be myself,” he said. “That’s what got me this far.”