"The Giordano Connection": BBT's ties to America's original jazz dance company
Many joke that the dance world is a small one. Dancers, artistic directors, and choreographers frequently cross paths to perform, teach, or stage works on dancers in various companies. However, for some dance companies, those ties run much deeper, stretching across hundreds of miles and generations of dancers. Take Boca Ballet Theatre and Giordano Dance Chicago for instance. Though one might not expect a ballet and jazz company to have so much in common, we share a strong legacy of faculty and dancers who continue to nurture and share their love of movement—in whatever form it takes!
Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
BBT’s Co-Artistic Directors Dan Guin and Jane Tyree both danced professionally for Giordano Dance Chicago with Jane later serving as the School Director, Scholarship Director, and Ballet Instructor. It was in Chicago that Dan and Jane formed a close relationship with Nan Giordano, the current artistic director of the company and the daughter of Gus Giordano, who created the world-renowned Giordano Technique. That relationship holds strong today, with Nan serving as a repeat guest artistic director at “The Directors’ Summer” workshop at BBT, where she has mentored many students and shared her expertise in the jazz technique her father pioneered. As the developer of the Nan Giordano Certification Program®, Nan is the world’s preeminent authority on the essence, discipline, progression, and continuance of the Giordano Technique.
Also sharing his passion for jazz dance is Jimmy Locust, a beloved guest faculty member at “The Directors’ Summer” workshop at BBT. Jimmy was an original principal dancer for Gus Giordano and has since gone on to work with superstars such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Quincy Jones, and Debbie Allen. In addition to teaching at the Gus Giordano Dance School, Jimmy has designed and written dance curricula for numerous community and private education programs and has been a studio owner, master teacher, and choreographer in Connecticut for over ten years. He recently founded Locust Dance Academy in South Florida, which performs at community events such as “Hoops 4 Hope” and the Breast Cancer Foundation’s charity gala.
In addition to having connections to Giordano Dance Chicago through our faculty members, we are proud to have a former BBT student carry on the Giordano legacy as a member of the main company! In 2021, BBT alumna Sasha Lazarus was invited to join Giordano Dance Chicago. She is certified in all 5 levels of the Nan Giordano Certification Program® and teaches Jazz to Pre-Professional students at the Joffrey Academy of Dance and educates young students in Chicago’s Public Schools as a part of GDC’s Jazz Dance/Science & Health Program. Sasha has also served as a guest faculty at “The Directors’ Summer” workshop, sharing her skills with dancers from across the country!
Boca Ballet Theatre is proud of its connections to America’s original jazz dance company, a relationship we hope to maintain for many years to come as we continue to promote the art of ballet and jazz dance!