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DENNIS NAHAT began his training in Detroit, Michigan at the age of eight under the direction of Enid and Jeff Ricardeau and Kay Bliss at the Ricardeau Studios. At 17 he was awarded a full scholarship in dance and minored in music at the Juilliard School of Music, while continuing his training under the guidance of Martha Hill, Martha Graham, José Limón, Anna Sokalow, Antony Tudor, and Louis Horst.

Nahat first danced with City Center Joffrey Ballet, and has performed with and/or choreographed major works for American Ballet Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, Hartford Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The London Festival Ballet, and Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas.

His career also spans Broadway, having appeared in or choreographed several productions during this period.

He co-founded the School of Cleveland Ballet in 1972 and Cleveland Ballet in 1976 with Ian Horvath. In 1983 Nahat became sole artistic director and in 1985 he created the co-venture between San Jose, California and Cleveland, Ohio, known as San Jose Cleveland Ballet. It has performed full seasons in both communities for 20 years. Nahat is now Artistic/Executive Director of the Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley which gave its debut performance in October 2000.

He has created 105 ballets, and his choreographic credits extend to musical theater, television and film. His ground-breaking work BLUE SUEDE SHOES, set to 36 songs of Elvis Presley has been seen nationwide on PBS. His choreography for the company which he describes as a dancer’s company, emphasizes theatricality, highlights the technical achievements of the artists, and creates visually exciting fare for the audience. Nahat has taken an active role in the 1994 and 1998 International Ballet Competitions held in Jackson, Mississippi, teaching the competitors’ classes, directing the choreography workshops and staging the final Awards Galas. He was again invited to be one of three on the Selection Committee, and to teach and stage the gala performances in the 2002 competitions.