About the Course
Get cool boy! Join local dancer/choreographer Nicholas Bradley Gray (he/they) on March 25th to learn two Jerome Robbins dance pieces from West Side Story! In this masterclass we will study the dance break sections from “Cool” and “America,” pieces Nicholas learned from Liza Gennaro (daughter of Peter Gennaro, Robbins’ co-choreographer on West Side Story) while studying ballet and theatre at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The Robbins choreographic style is unique in its foundations in ballet, latin, and jazz dance techniques and is foundational to the way we use dance in musical theatre today. Every motion of a Robbins ballet tells a story and, more often than not, dancers in a Jerry Robbins piece don’t feel like they are performing to the audience, but rather, are having fun with their friends onstage. So come have fun with us from 10am-1pm on March 25th.
Your Instructor
NICHOLAS BRADLEY GRAY
Nicholas Bradley Gray (he/they) is a local Dancer, Choreographer, and Educator and is so excited to be teaching this Robbins masterclass for BAM Talent! They grew up in the thriving arts town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they had the privilege to train and perform at the highest professional level at the many accredited arts organizations there including First Stage Children's Theatre, Milwaukee Children's Choir, and Milwaukee Ballet School. After receiving their Bachelor's Degree in Ballet with an Outside Field in Theatre and Drama from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music they moved to Grand Rapids to dance as an apprentice with Grand Rapids Ballet for the 2018-2019 season where they currently serve on the school faculty and occasionally perform as a guest with the company. Nicholas is excited to pass on their many years of accrued knowledge to the next generation of performers and instill in them the philosophy that dancing, above all, should be joyful, safe, and inclusive.