Al Blackstone (he/him/his) is an Emmy Award-winning director, choreographer, and educator. His passion for theatrical jazz dance enriches his unique approach to storytelling. With an emphasis on character, nuance, humor, and joy, his work has impacted audiences around the world and had made him one of the most sought-after voices in dance of his generation.
A former Broadway performer (Wicked the Musical) Al was raised in a New Jersey dance school owned and operated by his parents Richard and Denise Blackstone. The school was an attachment to his home and in addition to the extensive dance education he received there, he would spend his free time in the studio playing and experimenting with movement. It was here that he made his first dances.
Since then, Al has made work for theater, television, film, and concert dance companies. Perhaps best known for his witty and emotional dances for the television show So You Think You Can Dance, Al was nominated twice for an Emmy Award for his work on the show and was honored to win the 2020 Emmy Award for Best Choreography in Variety or Reality Programming. Currently he is the Resident Choreographer at Giordano Dance Chicago, America’s original jazz dance company entering into its 62nd Season. His Gershwin in B, 30-minute story ballet celebrating the music of George Gershwin, premiered at the Harris Theater in Chicago in Spring of 2024 to rave reviews.
As a Director, Choreographer, or even Associate Choreographer to Tony-winning artist Sonya Tayeh, Al has a great passion for the collaborative spirit of the musical theater. His direction of musical revivals such as Annie and An American in Paris have infused these classic stories with his unique point of view and dynamic staging and choreography. His extensive theatrical experience includes work at The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Barrington Stage, City Center Encores!, The Signature Theater, The Cape Playhouse, Music Theater of Wichita, Axelrod Performing Arts Center, The Village Theater, and the Maltz Jupiter Theater (Carbonel Winner, Best Choreography 2018).
In 2011 Al was the recipient of the Capezio A.C.E. Award for Choreographic Excellence and this launched his career as a creator of new and original dance narratives. These include Happy We’ll Be (Roseland Ballroom), Elephant in the Room (Arts on Site), Show on the Road (Arts on Site) and Freddie Falls in Love, which had a two week run at the world renowned Joyce Theater in New York City. He has also been commissioned to make work for dance companies such as 10 Hairy Legs and universities such as Point Park University, Pace University, Marymount Manhattan College, and The University of the Arts. He has choreographed for 5 seasons of the world-renowned Fire Island Dance Festival alongside companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bodytraffic, and Paul Taylor and has directed and choreographed multiple opening numbers for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS one of the country’s leading fundraisers for AIDS-related illness.
As an educator, Al has has shared a joyful enthusiasm for movement with dancers all over the world from the beginner to professional level. He has taught thousands of classes from New York to Vietnam including ten years as the Musical Theater teacher for the world’s largest dance convention, JUMP and his current position teaching theater dance for the dance division of the prestigious Juilliard School. His classes at Steps on Broadway and The Broadway Dance Center are hubs for professional dancers in New York City and have been consistently sold out weekly for well over a decade. This strong connection to the NYC dance community led to the creation of MOMEN in 2020 with his husband Abraham which produces events for adult dancers to help them reconnect to their love of movement and community in a joyful and supportive environment.
Al (short for Albert) believes deeply in the power of dance, community, and kindness.
