selya_john.jpg

john selya

John Selya, Native New Yorker, trained at the School of American Ballet from 1980-1988. In his final year there, he received the Mae L. Wien award for outstanding promise. He was then invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to join American Ballet Theatre, where he performed and created works by Balanchine, Robbins, Tharp, and Mark Morris, Tetley, Kudelka, and Kylian, as well as the classical repertoire. In addition to making a name for himself as a dancer, John choreographed three works for the company: MoondanceDisposition, and Don’t Panic

Following his departure from A.B.T. 11 years later, he joined Twyla Tharp Dance, the choreographer's touring company. John then created and performed the central role of Eddie in Tharp’s Tony winning Broadway show, Movin’ Out. His performance earned him a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical, an Astaire award for outstanding dancing on a Broadway stage and a Theater World Award for outstanding Broadway debut. Since then Mr. Selya has appeared as the Mambo dancer in Damn Yankees, Scranton Slim in Guys and Dolls and Sid in Twyla Tharp's Come Fly Away.

In 2008, John was an Artist -in- Residence at New York's Joyce SoHo, where he created two works: Tweaker and La Voix Humaine. In addition to appearing on stage, John also has appeared on screen in the movies Everyone Says I Love YouAcross the Universe, and Romance and Cigarettes.