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Teacher Bio
Matthew Steffens (he/him) currently serves as the Associate Choreographer on the Broadway production of Into The Woods. He is an international director and choreographer who has taught Musical Theater, Jazz, and Contemporary across the country as well as from Mexico to China....Read more
Matthew Steffens (he/him) currently serves as the Associate Choreographer on the Broadway production of Into The Woods. He is an international director and choreographer who has taught Musical Theater, Jazz, and Contemporary across the country as well as from Mexico to China. Matthew has worked in the Broadway community for over a decade and has danced, fought, and flown in 22 operas at The Metropolitan Opera, and can be currently seen dancing in La Traviata in the 2022-2023 season.
Matthew starting dancing in college at the University of Virginia. After working in advertising for 6 years, he moved to NYC to pursue dreams of performing on Broadway. He toured the country with Contact, West Side Story, and Beauty and the Beast before making his Broadway debut in Promises Promises, as well as the original cast of Women on the Verge.
Since moving behind the table credits include: Broadway - Doctor Zhivago (Associate Choreographer); Off-Broadway - Pretty Hunger (Choreographer - The Public), Superhero (Associate Choreographer - Second Stage), Queen of the Night (Resident Director/Associate Choreographer - Drama Desk Award), The Visitor (Associate Choreographer - The Public Theater), Bountiful (Choreographer - R.Evolucion Latina), The Tempest (Guest Choreographer - Pregones Theater). Other directing and choreographing highlights include A Chorus Line (Heritage Theater), The Legend of Georgia McBride (The Guthrie Theater), Joseph…Dreamcoat (Axelrod PAC), Hairspray (Playmakers Rep), Guys and Dolls (Playmakers Rep), Chess (Kennedy Center - Associate), and the original Chinese musical on ice Princess Butterfly.
Matthew has appeared on Film and TV in The Last Five Years, Across the Universe, Smash, Black Box, Best Time Ever, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Pan Am (Associate Choreographer). He has worked with many of the industry’s leading choreographers including Susan Stroman, Christopher Gatelli, Steven Hoggett, Rob Ashford, Josh Prince, Joshua Bergasse, Spencer Liff, Crystal Pite, Angelin Prejlocaj and has served as Associate Choreographer to Lorin Latarro, Kelly Devine, Luis Salgado, Mark Stuart, Michele Lynch, Eric Sean Fogel and Jen Jancuska. Matthew continues to work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids (BCEFA) on various programs including Broadway Backwards, Broadway Bares, and R.Evolucion Latina’s Beyond Workshop Series. In all his classes, he strives for each student to aspire for their highest potential, while instilling confidence and creativity.
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Class Descriptions
Matt’s class encourages the students to explore storytelling through musicality and performance in a supportive environment. Class begins with stylized jazz/ballet based warmup. Several across-the-floor exercises continue to incorporate technique, syncopation and coordination. Each week, new choreography will be taught that explores the various styles of musical theater, finding a balance between the rich history (Jack Cole, Fosse, Robbins, Bennett, Gower Champion) and the ever changing contemporary landscape (Funk, Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Street Jazz). Students will be challenged to use their own point of view and individuality to tell a story while connecting with an audience…ALL THE WHILE having FUN!