JAM with Sue Samuels

This season we are coming in HOT!  Excited to share with you our conversation with the one and only, Sue Samuels!

Sue Samuels (Teacher, Choreographer, Performer) has
 established herself as one of the staples of the
 performing arts community of today. With over 45 years
 of experience, her expertise is often sought after for
 mentoring and coaching purposes by professionals and
 aspiring artists alike from around the world. Her students
 have included numerous stage, film and tv stars including Melba Moore, Brooke Shields, and Irene Cara. She received the Flo-Bert Award from the NY Committee To Celebrate National Tap Dance Day for her many contributions to both the Jazz and Tap dance community and continues to serve on the Bessie Award Committee (New York Dance and Performance Awards).  Sue was awarded the Dance Teacher Award in 2018, The Legacy Award 2021 from Dancers Over 40 and was awarded a special Proclamation from the City Council of New York 2022.

 Performance and choreographic credits include lead dancer and assistant choreographer in such shows as Got Tu Go Disco at the Minskoff Theater on Broadway, The Johnny Hallyday Show in Paris, and the The Brazil Export Show in Rio de Janeiro, to name a few. 

Sue Samuels was the co-founder/owner of JoJo’s Dance Factory in New York City for ten years, which later became Broadway Dance Center. Ms. Samuels was also the director of the Jazz Department and founded the Jazz program for Children at the Fort Lauderdale Ballet in Florida, and ran her own Children’s program in Boca Raton for five years. Ms. Samuels was commissioned to teach at New York University in the Cap 21 program with theater majors, as well as Olympic Gymnastic Instructors in Tokyo, Japan. Other teaching credits include The Joffrey School of Ballet Summer Intensive, The Ailey Extension, The annual Los Angeles Tap Festival at Debbie Allen Dance Academy, The Broward Civic Ballet, Frank Hatchett’s Professional Childrens Program, Dance Masters Association, the Haitian-American Academy of Ballet & Arts, the Dance Teachers’ Association of Haiti (L’Association des Professeurs de Danse d’Haiti), Bento de Danza the Brazil International Jazz Dance Congress (Congresso do Jazz Internacional do Brasil), Bento em Danca (Brazil), and Helsinki Tap Festival in Finland. 

In 2009 she founded Jazz Roots Dance Company, in order to preserve and promote original repertoire from JoJo’s Dance Factory as well as continue to develop her own choreographic voice that is rooted in classic jazz. She also aims to preserve the work of other classic jazz styles and influences by including works in the styles of Luigi, Matt Maddox, Phil Black, Bob Fosse, Jack Cole, Ron Lewis as well as lesser known choreographers who have influenced the field.

For a complete bio, please visit Sue Samuel's webpage on Divine Rhythm Productions.

Purchase Sue's DVD and CD of jazz barre, floor exercises and isolations at Divine Rhythm Productions 

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