Rasta Thomas

Rasta Thomas
Born
Rasta Kuzma Ramacandra

(1981-07-18) July 18, 1981
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Career
Current groupBad Boys of Dance
DancesBallet

Rasta Kuzma Ramacandra (born July 18, 1981), known professionally as Rasta Thomas, is an American dancer, choreographer, and founder of the dance company Bad Boys of Dance.[1]

Early life

Rasta Thomas was born in San Francisco, California,[2] and raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[3] His parents were physicians whose frequent travel, according to Thomas in a 1998 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, led him to be "more open-minded about movement and about what people have to offer."[4]

At age two, Thomas underwent physical therapy following a leg injury sustained in a vehicle accident.[5] He began taekwondo lessons at age three.[4] His father later enrolled him in ballet classes at the Kirov Academy of Ballet as a disciplinary measure following behavioural issues with teachers.[4][6][7]

Career

At age 12, Thomas trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C.[6] While a student at the Kirov, he represented the Seiskaya School of Ballet at the 1996 Varna International Ballet Competition.[8] During this time, his training and performance were sponsored by Gerald Arpino, Arthur Mitchell, and Debbie Allen.[2][6]

At age 13, Thomas trained under Dawei Zhang at the Maryland Youth Ballet.[9] In 1994, he received the Jury Prize at the Paris International Dance Competition, becoming the youngest recipient in the competition's history.[10] In 1995, he joined Le Jeune Ballet de France[8] and later performed as an étoile (leading dancer) at the Paris Opera Ballet.[6]

In 1996, at age 15, Thomas was awarded the Junior Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, while performing with a foot injury.[6] In 1997, he joined the Hartford Ballet as a company artist.[5]

In 1998, Thomas competed in the senior division of the USA International Ballet Competition (USAIBC) at age 17.[11][12][a] He won the gold medal, becoming the youngest dancer to do so in that division.[4][13]

Thomas moved to Los Angeles to pursue commercial work, which included a GAP ad and a performance in the 1999 Academy Awards choreographed by Debbie Allen.[5][14] Thomas also conceived and directed Homage: A Tribute to Families With AIDS, a benefit performance for Self-Help Community Services and its Family Home Care program.[15]

I'll contact the artistic director and try to sell myself to them for a particular role. Some dance companies resist because it affects morale with their established dancers ... I'm aware that it is important not to upset the balance of an existing company and not to give the impression that I am irresponsible or a drifter.[16]

Rasta Thomas, The Dancer Within (2008)

Thomas moved to New York City and joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell.[14] in February 2001, following an introduction by choreographer Vladimir Angelov to Gerhard Rieder, Thomas performed at the Kirov Ballet's gala in St. Petersburg, dancing Angelov's Flight of the Bumblebee.[5] In October 2001, after filming the movie Without a Word, he became the first American to join the Kirov Ballet as a permanent member.[17]

Thomas later performed as a guest artist with the American Ballet Theatre in Lar Lubovitch's production of Othello. In 2005, he performed a solo in the U.S. debut of Lubovitch’s Elemental Brubeck.[18] That same year, he made his Broadway debut in the lead role of Eddie in the musical Movin' Out, later joining the productions' touring company.

In 2007, Thomas founded the dance company Bad Boys of Dance (BBD), which debuted at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July of that year. Reviewing an early performance for The New York Times, Jennifer Dunning called it "the dance equivalent of a water-bomb gang," nothing Thomas's "theatrical intelligence" and describing the performers as a group of friends "with individual presences"[19] A review in The Guardian characterised the production as having "a touch of classical class."[20]

Personal life

Thomas has one daughter from his marriage to his former dance partner, Adrienne Canterna.[21]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Zehetner, Alexandra (December 29, 2024). "Rasta Thomas and the Magic of Debbie Allen's Dance Academy". Dance for You Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Eichenbaum (2008), p. 188
  3. ^ Stages, Three (January 21, 2013). "Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance show off athleticism, individuality". Village Life. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Mason, M.S. (September 25, 1998). "Young Dancer Melds Ballet, Martial Arts, Gold Medals". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Rasta's quest: ballet's maverick is still looking for a home. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e Dunning, Jennifer. "Dance Notes". Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  7. ^ "Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Rasta Thomas". The T.O.P Awards. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  9. ^ "Linthicum teen takes top prize Dance: Adrienne Canterna, 15, won a gold medal in the International Ballet Competition". Baltimore Sun. June 29, 1998. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  10. ^ "Rasta Thomas". Dance Educators of America. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  11. ^ "Etceteras". Christian Science Monitor. Vol. 90, no. 150. June 30, 1998. p. 2.
  12. ^ Sims, Caitlin (September 1998), "Rasta Thomas awarded Jackson gold medal". Dance Magazine. 72 (9):35
  13. ^ Poon, Kina (December 2009), "Rebel Without a Pause". Dance Magazine. 83 (12):26
  14. ^ a b Eichenbaum (2008), p 189
  15. ^ Dunning, Jennifer. "DANCE REVIEW; Extra Benefit At a Benefit Is the Fun". Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  16. ^ Eichenbaum (2008), p. 190
  17. ^ Stages, Three (January 21, 2013). "Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance show off athleticism, individuality". Village Life. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  18. ^ Sulcas, Roslyn (November 10, 2005). "A Leaping Man in Red, Propelled by Classic Brubeck". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (July 31, 2007). "Bad Boys of Dance; A Troupe Keeps the Jinks Just as High as Possible". The New York Times.
  20. ^ Mackrell, Judith (June 13, 2014). "Rock the Ballet review – Bad Boys of Dance? More like a classy Chippendales". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  21. ^ Spirit, Dance (March 22, 2017). "Where Are They Now?". Dance Spirit. Retrieved October 3, 2025.

Bibliography

  • The Dancer Within: Intimate Conversations with Great Dancers. Rose Eichenbaum, Aron Hirt-Manheimer Wesleyan University Press, 2008 ISBN 0-8195-6880-5, ISBN 978-0-8195-6880-9 pp 188–190

Reviews

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.