Suzanne Farrell, CCM Prep ’50s, HonDoc ’90

Suzanne Farrell earned accolades as one of the 20th century’s most important dancers during her 27-year career with the New York City Ballet. In 1960, she began studying at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet under a Ford Foundation scholarship. In '61, she joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB), where she was promoted to principal dancer four years later, and Balanchine created many roles for her.

She retired from performing in 1989, an unusually long time for a ballet career. For the next 10 years, she worked with ballets in Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Moscow (the Bolshoi Ballet) before founding the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She received a National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor.

Link: Watch video of her dancing with Sesame Street characters.

Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch, CCM '96

Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch is a choreographer, teacher and principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Co., with whom she tours internationally. Prior to joining the company in 2002, she danced with Philadanco and Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre. She has also taught for the Princeton Ballet School, Long Island University, the Peridance Capezio Center, the National Dance Institute of New Mexico, the nonprofit Art of Motion, the Wyoming Seminary Performing Arts Institute, Arts YOUniversity and the Virginia Arts Festival.

She is also co-founder of the Big Sky Project, a nonprofit performing arts organization interested in the healing powers of the indigenous arts.

Justin Bohon, CCM '00

Justin Bohon is a Broadway actor whom the Astaire Awards named Best Male Dancer in May '02 and who received nominations from both the Drama Desk Awards and the Theatre World Award for his performance in the "Oklahoma!" revival in which he starred as Will Parker.

LINKS

• See all his Broadway credits.
  
• See his TV credit.
  
• See his movie credit.
• Watch a video performance at the Royal National Theater of him playing Freddy in "My Fair Lady," for which he won the Helen Hayes Award.
• Watch his rope tricks, award-winning dancing and singing on "The Today Show" when the cast of "Oklahoma" perform.

Karen Olivo, CCM '97

Karen Olivo was named Best Female Dancer on Broadway by the Fred & Adele Astaire Awards in 2008 for her portrayal of Vanessa in the show "In the Heights" (produced by Kevin McCollum, CCM '84). She also won a Drama Desk Award for the part. The next year, she received a Tony Award for playing Anita in the "West Side Story" revival and was nominated for an Astaire Award, a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Her popularity has also soared on TV and the silver screen.

LINKS

• Visit her website.
• See her Broadway credits.
• See her TV credits.
• See her movie credits.
• Read UC Magazine story and see photo gallery about Olivo.
• See her photos in the alumnae sweethearts section for Valentine's Day.
• Watch Olivo tearfully accept her '09 Tony.
• Watch Olivo perform a song from "In the Heights."
  

Josh Prince, CCM ’96

Josh Prince is a noted Broadway choreographer who was nominated for an Astaire Award in 2014 in the category of Outstanding Choreographer for a Broadway Show — for his work on the new musical "Beautiful: The Carol King Musical."

After graduation in the ’90s, Prince first moved to Los Angeles where he performed in “The Producers” with Jason Alexander and Martin Short. Next he received a grant from DanceBreak, a high-profile showcase for professional choreographers in NYC, to assemble two pieces. In 2008, he was selected as the choreographer for the new Broadway show “Shrek: The Musical,” for which he was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography in 2009. In 2010, he choreographed the Kennedy Center Spring Gala. In early 2012, he was in London, setting  his original choreography for the West End production of "Shrek."

At right are dancers in the 2013-14 Broadway show "Beautiful:
The Carole King Musical." Four alumni in the show include
Alysha Deslorieux (CCM ’12), Daniel Torres (CCM ’01),
Sara Sheperd (CCM ’08), and Melvin Tunstall III (CCM ’98),
as well as Prince who choreographed it. The show was
nominated for seven Tonys and won two.

LINKS

• Watch a video of the "Shrek" show.
• See a longer list of Prince's Broadway credits.

Ryan Breslin, CCM '11

One year after graduation, Ryan Breslin was nominated for a Fred & Adele Astaire Award as Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Musical for his work in the Disney show "Newsies: The Musical." Although Breslin lost, we lost in the respectable company of Matthew Broderick and Hugh Jackman.

LINKS

• See video of Breslin dancing a "Newsies" number for ABC's "Nightline."
• See a video of Breslin talking about "Newsies" and demonstrating techniques.

 Photo/Broadwayworld.com

Kearran Giovanni, CCM '03

Kearran Giovanni received an Astaire Award nomination for Best Female Dancer in a Broadway Musical for her performance in the revival of "Guys and Dolls" in ’09.

LINKS

• See her Broadway credits.
• See her TV credits.
• See her photos from our alumnae sweethearts Valentine page.

Kate Kahn, att. CCM ‘60s

Kate Kahkn was one a famous Dean’s Girl from 1967-70, appearing with the host on the “Dean Martin Variety Hour.” Prior to moving to Los Angeles for her television career, she performed on stage in New York City.