American Idol Alum Hits Broadway!

Jemal Countess/Getty ImagesUs Magazine

Jennifer Hudson is causing a trend!

Much like the American Idol alum, Season 7's second runner-up Syesha Mercado has joined the cast of Dreamgirls. But unlike Hudson's Oscar-winning turn in the 2006 movie adaptation, Mercado is singing and dancing on Broadway!

The show's co-choreographer, Shane Sparks, talked to Usmagazine.com about Mercado's theater debut, adding that her turn on American Idol helped prepare her for the stage.

See photos of last season's American Idol contestants!

"Any show where youre constantly doing what you love to do, working with different singers, different producers, in a different environment, it always helps you grow," Sparks -- who is also a choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance and a judge on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew -- told Us. "Thats why shes so well rounded for this show now... That girl is so groomed as an actress."

She picked up his choreography perfectly, he tells Us.

See photos of today's top news stories

"She never had a problem with any of the moves," said Sparks, who admitted that he's the one who had a challenge converting his well-honed hip-hop skills to Broadway.

"Ive done staging for So You Think You Can Dance, but staging for a Broadway show is totally different," he says. "Because you've got to worry about upstage, downstage, stage right, stage left!"

Sparks, who will be returning to SYTYCD for the Dec. 6 show, will also be heading all over the nation come January to audition performers for the next season of America's Best Dance Crew.

See more photos of stars on the dance floor

Of the stops in NYC, Denver, Boston, L.A. and Atlanta, he says he's excited: "This will be the first season that we actually go out on the road to have auditions!"

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly