From his first appearance during the auditions of season 11 of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, we were captivated by Ricky Ubeda. There was his amazing dance talent of course, but week after week there was also his exuberance and obvious open heart. Was there really any surprise that he would be voted America’s Favorite Dancer? Nope.

But what’s next for Ricky?

First, the SYTYCD Tour kicks off October 1^st so that will keep him (and the rest of the top 10) busy. But once the tour winds up in early 2015 he also will be joining the Broadway revival of On The Town.

We sat down with Ricky, who is just as energetic and genuine as you’d imagine, to talk about the journey he’s been on, his other career aspirations and which celebrity he’d die if he met. We also brought along our photographer, Clinton Gaughran, for an exclusive photo shoot.

Ricky Ubeda photographed by Clinton Gaughran for TheBacklot

TheBacklot: I’m guessing the life you’re living right now is quite different from what you’re used to!

Ricky Ubeda: It’s very different, yeah. I’m just taking it for what it is. It’s just like my momen,t and I think that only comes once in a lifetime so I’m just taking it for what it is.

Talk to me about this journey you’ve been on with the show, learning so many dances, the competition.

It’s pretty crazy. I had a lot of expectations going into it, just it was going to be great and it was going to be fun and I was going to learn so much. And they all got shattered in the best way possible. I learned more about myself than I possibly could have ever imagined and I’ve made lifelong friends with these kids. I love them so much. I’ve made ties with the choreographers and future jobs and opportunities, and I think I’ve networked really well. I didn’t expect that to happen so it’s pretty amazing.

What did you learn about yourself? Was it more physical, or emotional, or personal?

I definitely didn’t think I could be pushed to that place of exhaustion physically. And even mentally I was really proud of the way that I was able to stay in a positive mindset through the whole experience. A lot of people, it was hard for them to stay positive. Yeah, I was really proud of myself for being able to do that within all the stress and the pressures.

Do you cry easily? Because you cried often on the show.

Yeah. I’m just an emotional mess. I’m just not afraid to let people see what I’m feeling.

You’ve just always have been that way?

Yeah, my mom’s like that, so I kind of picked it up from her. But yeah, definitely. I didn’t cry towards the beginning [of the show] at all. But I was just so tired all the time and anything would make all of us cry. We would cry together, as a team. It wasn’t my intention to be, ‘okay, you have to cry.’ Definitely not. Because you can ask people backstage, they’re, ‘Ricky cries like the way a rug is put together.’ That was like a joke, but it’s true. I think it let audiences in. It was really me, though.

Which choreographer surprised you the most from working with them?

They really did all surprise me with what how personable they were and how they really connected with their dancers. But I think Sonya [Tayeh] really touched me. It was the first week maybe that I was fresh off the real world. She really touched me and she really worked pretty closely with me. That was really special for me.

Are you interested in getting into choreography?

Oh, absolutely. I definitely want to be choreographer in the long run. I don’t know about right now because I feel like I have a lot of searching to do as far as my voice is concerned. I think that a lot of young people like myself jump into choreography without knowing who they are yet as an artist I guess. I really want to make sure that I know exactly what I want to say, and then choreograph.

You’re a contemporary dancer but are there other areas that you’d want to spend time in?

I’m getting into Broadway now but that world and their dancing is so different, in a really cool way, and I’m really excited to learn their world, and their style, and their ways.

Tell me about being in On The Town, which you’ll join after the tour. I saw you were in New York and met the cast.

It was so special. I got outside of my car and they were all outside of the theater yelling and cheering for me. And they got me a little hat, and they took a picture, and I got to watch the whole show run-through. And they were all just so sweet and they were really excited to have me, which is really cool because I’m joining them in their process already. They’ve already started and they’ve already done the show, so it’s really exciting that they still are excited to accept me to their family.

Do you know the role you’ll play yet?

I have no idea. I haven’t got my contract yet. But I have no idea.

In doing On the Town, do you have acting aspirations, too?

Maybe. Yeah, I think that I’m just mostly excited to just jump into those other branches that I’ve never gotten to like singing. But I have to learn how to carry a tune. And acting. And dancers are actors, but actual speaking roles. It’s not really my forte, but I’m excited to learn.

So you’re not a singer at this point?

Definitely not. Never taken a singing class, never tried to carry a tune so we’ll see but I’m hoping that with great teachers and a work ethic you can do anything.

Let’s go back to when you started in dance. When was that point when you knew dance was going to be a big thing for you?

I think it’s when I met my mentor, Victor [Smalley], and he opened so many doors for my mind to think about who I wanted to be as a dancer and how it’s an endless exploration. He just made me an artist, basically, and I think that that’s when I realized that’s what I wanted to do forever, after meeting him.

What does your family think about all this that you’re going through?

They were really overwhelmed, just like I am. It’s really special. I mean, I’m on the cover of so many newspapers in Miami and I’m on the news all the time and it’s just so weird for them. And it’s so weird for me, but yeah, they’re just really excited for me. And I’m glad they got to be there when I won in the finale.

What are you most excited about the tour?

Definitely most excited about, well, two things – spending time with everyone in the top 10 without the competition and without being stressed. Just being together and being people. And then I’m excited to meet everyone that voted for me and all my supporters.

And the tour will actually be in Miami over Thanksgiving, right?

On Thanksgiving we’ll have our day off in Miami, and I’m going to bring the whole top 10 to my house to eat my grandma’s cooking. They’re really excited.

When you get to this point and people want to know about you and your life. Have you gotten a sense of that at all?

Yeah. I think it’s pretty cool. I mean, I can see how it could be a little scary for some people but I’ve always been a person…I love to share. So I mean, it’s just really cool for me. I love talking. Definitely not talking on TV, but I love having conversations with these people. But, yeah, when you’re put on the spot when they ask you a question on the show you’re just, ‘jeez, I don’t know.’ That’s hard for me, all those pressures. But I love to talk, so it’s just been really special. And I know it won’t last forever, so I’ve been taking it in, but not taking it for granted.

Who would be a celebrity that you would meet that would just knock your socks off?

I have the weirdest answer to this question. Lena Dunham is my favorite person in the whole world, and I would die, literally die if I met her. She’s amazing. I own all the seasons of Girls and I watch it all the time. And I think she’s so honest in the way she wants to express anything, and she’s multi-talented. She writes and directs, and she’s the main actress, and I admire her.

Do you miss your life from before the show?

I think it’s weird, because I was a high school student and I had just graduated in May, came out here in June. So my old life was my old life regardless of the show or not. I mean, definitely now it’s something different, but I would have had a complete different life regardless of the show. But I’m glad that it is this life now. It’s pretty awesome, and I’m glad that was my first experience right off the bat into the real world. But it wasn’t the real world, we were in a bubble. But now I’m in the real world.

You can follow Ricky Ubeda on Twitter. For information on the So You Think You Can Dance tour, visit the website. Get tickets for On The Town on Broadway on the website.