Hoofer Jared Grimes‘ expert musicality and dazzling sounds have made him a true tap icon. Born in Jamaica, Queens, NY, Grimes started taking tap lessons at age 3 from his mother. After moving to North Carolina a few years later, he began studying all genres of dance at Dance Connections in Greensboro, and attended competitions […]
20 companies, 12 performances, $15 a ticket: By the numbers, New York City Center’s Fall for Dance festival looks pretty impressive. When you add in the fact that the annual event often features troupes rarely seen in NYC, and that it seems to ignite the city’s passion for dance—hordes of people line up every year […]
Every time I see a video of Lil Buck effortlessly gliding around or Jared Grimes‘ pristine tapping, I’m in awe. But I must say, their recent joint performance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” tops my list. The two superstar dancers were joined by Wynton Marsalis, who, along with his lively band, provided some […]
Thank you, musical theater gods, for (newly-crowned MacArthur genius) Lin-Manuel Miranda. He brought us In the Heights. He brought us Bring It On. And then he went and brought us Hamilton—that most unlikely and yet, somehow, most fantabulous rap musical about America’s Founding Fathers. As if that weren’t enough, he also instituted the daily #Ham4Ham […]
Every now and then, all the blood, sweat and oh-so-many tears dancers put into their craft result in an ultra-satisfying payoff. Here, seven professional dancers share the moments that can make them smile whenever they’re feeling down. Jared Grimes performing at the Dancers Responding to AIDS Fire Island Dance Festival (photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy […]
The Tony Awards (airing this Sunday night!) recognize a lot of Broadway talent: actors, directors, sound designers, lighting designers, writers, composers, and our favorites, choreographers. But we all know that the true muscle behind every amazing musical is the dancers. And they rarely get Tony nominations. (Unless they happen to be the fabulous Karine Plantadit, […]
January 1 is the perfect time to hit the “refresh” button on your dance training and shake off whatever was holding you back last year. It might be hard to believe, but even the most amazing dancers use this time of year to look for ways they can improve and set new goals. Here are […]