“I like to surround myself with people I know or have a certain spirit to them,” he added. “Most of them say they aren’t dancing like they did five years ago. I say: ‘That’s O.K., you can do a single turn, and we’ll put you in the back a little bit more.’”

Ms. Gajda, a Long Island native, isn’t one for the back row, but she never wanted to be a principal, either. After a short stint in Los Angeles as a dancer in awards shows and similar events, she returned to New York in her mid-20s and landed her first legit job, in the tour of “Tommy.”

Armed with what she refers to as “pedestrian singing” abilities and “passable acting,” she loved working in the ensemble — standing out in the group as much as possible, but also being protected by the group just the same.

“No one goes to Kelli O’Hara and says: ‘Surely you want to put on a pair of pointe shoes and do a pique circle,’” Ms. Gajda joked. “Not a cell in my body ever wanted to stand in a spotlight and say words.”

Yet things have changed since she made her Broadway debut over two decades ago.

Nowadays, performers need to be triple threats, as smaller cast sizes mean ensemble members often cover principal roles when lead actors are out. Ms. Gajda felt this fully in 2012, when, in Broadway’s “Chaplin,” she understudied the character of Hedda Hopper, but felt she couldn’t sing the character’s song.

Ms. Gajda said she has never been on any choreographer’s A-list and has had frequent downtime between shows. Many of her gigs have been short-lived, such as the flops “Cry-Baby,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and “Pal Joey.” Like other ensemble members, she has taught and judged dance competitions to make extra money.