Bob Boross is known internationally for his artistic excellence in jazz, tap, and musical theatre dance. With Comments on Jazz Dance, Bob has compiled his writings into one volume, covering luminaries like Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, Matt Mattox, Frank Hatchett, Michael Owens, Lynn Simonson, Donald McKayle, Eugene Loring, Danny Buraczeski, Billy Siegenfeld, Graciela Daniele, Paul Draper, and more. Bob also discusses jazz dance history, philosophy, and aesthetics, and personal choreographic choices in creating his 9/11 themed dance Empty Sky...The Rising. Comments on Jazz Dance is a must read for anyone who craves a deeper understanding of the jazz dance genre.
Bob Boross is known internationally for his artistic excellence in jazz, tap, and musical theatre dance. Bob's career began as a musical theatre performer in productions of West Side Story, Godspell, Zorba, and The Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King). He made his Broadway debut in the 1981 revival of Can-Can, choreographed by Roland Petit. Since then he has choreographed Equity and non-Equity productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, Victor/Victoria, Blood Brothers, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Bob has also been invited to teach and choreograph by jazz dance companies in Sweden, Russia, France, England, Finland, Italy, and Mexico. Most recently his work has been seen on multiple occasions in the NY Jazz Choreography Project and the Choreographer's Canvas (NYC) and VelocityDC Dance Festival in Washington DC. In Los Angeles Bob has presented his work at Jazz Dance LA at the Japanese-American Theatre, Spectrum Dance in LA at the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood, and at the Gypsy Dance Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. His evening length dance theatre piece Empty Sky...The Rising, set to twelve songs by Bruce Springsteen, debuted in 2005 at the Two River Theatre in NJ. Bob's dance approach is mainly influenced by the jazz dance pioneer Matt Mattox and his freestyle jazz dance technique. Over the years Bob's students have enjoyed great success - dancing on Broadway, in films, music videos, ballet companies, in Las Vegas, on the Academy Awards, and as finalists in the shows So You Think You Can Dance and Step Up and Dance (Bravo network). Bob holds the M.A. in Individualized Study (Jazz Dance) from the Gallatin School of New York University and a B.A. in Economics from Denison University. He has held professorships at Illinois State University, Western Kentucky University, and the University of California, Irvine, where he was appointed head of jazz dance. At Stephens College in Missouri, Bob served as Associate Professor and Chairperson of the dance department. In Virginia, Bob has taught at Radford University and as Visiting Associate Professor of Jazz Dance at Shenandoah Conservatory. Bob is also known as an author on jazz dance, and his writings have been published in Dance Chronicle, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, and Dancer. Since 2003 he has been an invited member of the Advisory Board of Dance Teacher magazine.
