Life means change: Ryan P. Casey taps it all out

Tap dancer Ryan P. Casey (photo by Chelsea Hack) 

Ryan P. Casey--perhaps best known for his work in Michelle Dorrance's Dorrance Dance--presents "Transitions”: An Evening of Tap Dance, his first full evening of original tap choreography on Saturday, July 6 (8pm) at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA. The show includes solo, duet, trio and ensemble work set to a variety of music, from Blossom Dearie and Harry Connick, Jr. to Dinah Washington and Shel Silverstein.

He also promises "poetry, humor and hip hop," and the show's title, says the 22-year-old and famously tall Casey, refers to some major personal and professional changes.

“Some of it was inspired by my pilgrimage to New York City; some of it explores how I overcame the hindrances and self-consciousness caused by my unique body type; and the show overall represents a shift into my newfound roles as choreographer and director.”

Casey and  dancers (photo by Maya Reardon)

Ryan P. Casey bio

Casey, 22, studied at The Dance Inn of Lexington and Arlington for 13 years, honing his
tap skills under the tutelage of Director Thelma Goldberg and Kelly Kaleta while also training in other styles. During his time with the studio’s Legacy Dance Company, he  performed at venues like Tap City: The New York City Tap Festival, the Boston Center for the Arts, and the annual Boston Dance Alliance gala. Additionally, the 6’8” hoofer was the recipient of a YoungArts award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, appeared on an episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” and was a student of the inaugural tap program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Now on faculty with the Legacy Dancers, he continues to work both as a soloist and choreographer while also dancing for Bessie-award winner Michelle Dorrance in her New York City-based company, Dorrance Dance. In May, he graduated from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a self-designed B.A. in “The Sociology and Morality of Literature” and had the honor of performing at Lincoln Center.

For more information, click here.
For tickets, click here.

The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater
at the West Side YMCA
10 West 64th Street (between Broadway and Central Park West)
(map/directions)