Cory Boyas

Michael "Cory" Boyas (b. April 18th, 1975) is an American stage director, choreographer, and master dance teacher. He is most noted as the choreographer for the off-Broadway cult hit Rock-A-My-Soul in New York City. He also directs and owns SRQ Dance, Inc. in Sarasota, Florida.

Boyas was born in Bradenton, Florida, to a Greek father and German/Italian mother, an only child. His parents divorced while his mother was still pregnant with him, and Boyas was raised by his mother and grandmother. He was often left at the library in the afternoons while his mother worked. At age six, he tagged along with his mother to a local musical production of Annie. Boyas was fascinated with the tap dancing, and asked his mother to sign him up for tap lessons immediately. The following week, Boyas was enrolled in tap at Ellen Meade Studios in Bradenton, Florida.

As the son of a lower-middle class working single mother, Boyas grew up as a studio kid. He received a full dance scholarship the following year, and began to take classes in ballet, jazz, and acrobatics, as well as tap.

Boyas went on to attend the Sarasota Visual and Performing Arts program at Booker High School, where he graduated as a dance performance major in 1992.

During his senior year in high school, Boyas was discovered by former NYC dancer Ginny East-Hendry, and asked to perform with her new dance company, West Coast Dance Project. Boyas soon found himself at East-Hendry's studio, FLEX Dance Studios, taking classes while attending day classes at Manatee Community College. Six credits shy of his Associates degree, Boyas decided to drop out of college and pursue a career in dance in NYC.

Professional Career

Boyas moved to New York with only $1000 in his pocket. His mother was very unsupportive of his decision to leave school, and told him that he would be back home in Florida within one month. Boyas would walk Broadway daily searching for summer sublets. Nobody wished to rent him a room because he had no employment. He then proceeded to apply for a job, but nobody wated to hire him as he had no residence in New York. In a classic Catch-22, Boyas had almost given up hope, when he landed a role as an extra on Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete and Pete. Boyas was able to secure a six foot square walk-in closet in an upper west side apartment for $400 per month. He lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and instant ramen noodles, and walked nearly eighty blocks per day, as he was unable to afford the $1.25 fare for the NYC Subway.

Through his relationship with Ginny East-Hendry, Boyas was introduced to Richard Ellner, owner of Broadway Dance Center. Ellner also owned a small T-Shirt company, and hired Boyas to design T-Shirts on the side while he established himself in New York. Boyas also began substituting for jazz and tap teachers at Broadway Dance Center, eventually forming his own classes both at BDC and Steps on Broadway.

Boyas suddenly found himself amongst a Who's Who in the musical theater world. He worked on projects featuring notables such as Christopher Chadman, Donna McKechnie, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, and Terrence Mann, among others.

Six months later, Boyas landed his first Broadway show, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, portraying Salt, the lead dance role and also serving as dance captain.

At the same time, Boyas also began dancing with Chet Walker. Walker was working on a side project titled "Bob Fosse: The Dancin' Man," which would eventually be reworked as the Broadway smash, "Fosse." Boyas left the production after the initial backer's audition to choreograph "Rock-A-My-Soul," a small off-Broadway production, which became a hit in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The production was extended three times, and became a cult-classic.

After "Rock-A-My-Soul" wrapped, Boyas was cast in the European tour of the American Ballet Festival, spending three months traveling abroad.

Boyas began directing/choreographing professional summer stock productions and regional tours, as well as limited run productions in the East Village.

He returned home to Florida in December, 1995 to spend the holidays with his mother, when he was reacquainted with his high school crush. In a whirlwind romance, they married a week after their first date, on January 16th, 1996.

Boyas' first project as a newlywed was to re-create the original Bob Fosse choreography for the 1996 National Tour of Sweet Charity. Boyas decided that he wished to focus on developing innovative new dance pieces, and retire from performing altogether.

His last onstage performance came soon after when he was cast as Moose in the Gershwin musical, "Crazy For You."

In the Fall of 1996, Boyas was asked to teach for a year in Bamberg, Germany at the prestigious Ballettschülle Theatergasen.

Starting in December, 1998, Boyas took an eight year hiatus from the performing arts to devote time to being a new father. Boyas and his wife moved back to Florida from NYC in January, 2000. Boyas left the performing arts for corporate america, working for companies such as Starbucks Coffee, Banana Republic, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co, LLC.

Recent Career

Boyas returned to the world of dance and performing arts full time when he opened SRQ Dance, Inc. in Sarasota, Florida in August 2007. Boyas' vision of a performing arts mecca in Sarasota included a full-time performing arts preschool, as well as dance education for all levels from ages two-adult. A year later, SRQ would add SRQ Music Academy and SRQ Theater Arts.

Boyas also serves on the board of the Sarasota Arts Education Task Force to ensure that the arts education remains a viable part of the public school system.

Boyas currently tours the country as a Master Teacher/Choreographer and Adjudicator for Fluid Dance Conventions, Dance Educators of America, and Headliners.

Directing/Choreographing Highlights
* Anything Goes, 2009, Choreographer
* CIty Of Angels, 2009, Choreographer
* Headliners, 2009, Director/Choreographer/Adjudicator
* Dance Educators of America, 2009, Director/Choreographer/Adjudicator
* Fluid Dance, 2008, Choreographer/Adjudicator
* Have Cube, Will Travel, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* Belleview, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* Dancin' Dan, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* Incantation, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* Poison Ivy, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* The Vaudeville Rag, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* Tribal, 2008, Director/Choreographer
* White On State 2, 2008, Choreographer
* Downtown Holiday Parade, 2007, Co-Staged
* Green Eggs And Hamlet, 2006, Director/Choreographer
* ', 2006, Director/Choreographer
* The Good Doctor, 2005, Director
* Breakfast With Santa At The Ritz-Carlton, 2005,2004,2003, Director/Choreographer
* Balletschülle Theatergassen, Germany, 1997,1996, Director/Choreographer
* Sweet Charity, National Tour, 1996, Choreographer
* Rock-A-My-Soul, Summer Stock, 1996, Choreographer
* Forever Plaid, Summer Stock, 1996, Choreographer
* Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Summer Stock, 1996, Choreographer
* Broadway Dance Center, 1994, 1995, Teacher/Choreographer
* Steps On Broadway, 1994, 1995, Teacher/Choreographer

Performance Highlights
* Crazy For You, Summer Stock, 1996, Moose
* Forever Plaid, Summer Stock, 1996, Smudge
* Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Summer Stock, 1996, Isaachar/Baker
* Rock-A-My-Soul, Off-Broadway, 1996, Michael Smith
* Beauty And The Beast, Broadway, 1995, Salt/Enchanted Townsperson
* American Ballet Festival, European Tour, 1995, Dance Captain
* The Music And The Mirror, NYC Cabaret, 1995, Dance Captain
* Bob Fosse: The Dancin' Man, Pre-Broadway Workshop, 1995, Ensemble
* Phantom, 1994, Puck/Ensemble
* 1776, 1994, The Courier
* The Bald Princess, 1993, Bipsnurgle
* ', 1992, Andy Lee
* Grease, 1992, Sonny Latieri
* A Chorus Line, 1992, Mark
* ', 1991, Featured Dancer/Ensemble
* Little Shop Of Horrors, 1991, Audrey II
* She Loves Me, 1991, Shopper/Ensemble

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