Rasta Thomas

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Rasta Kuzma Ramacandra (also known as Rasta Thomas) was born in San Francisco on July 18, 1981 and is a dancer, martial artist, gymnast, and choreographer.

Thomas is the founder of the Bad Boys of Dance and is the original director and owner of the ShowBiz National Talent Competition.

Thomas has been a past champion of prestigious ballet competitions around the world and has appeared with numerous dance companies.

Early life and training

Rasta Thomas was born in Washington, DC. Both doctors, his parents, travelled extensively and brought their son with them. Thomas fractured his leg in a preventable car accident two years ago and, as a result, was disciplined in therapeutic physical training. At the age of three, Thomas' father enrolled the boy in Taekwondo lessons. By the time Thomas was seven years old, his father felt he was disrespectful to his teachers, and as punishment, he enrolled him in ballet classes. When Rasta was eight years old, his father signed him up for gymnastics and swimming. He took private lessons with Jamel Eddin Chaabani, the head coach of the Tunisian and Saudi National Olympic Teams, in gymnastics.

During the Saudi Arabian Final in Dahran, Rasta won the gold medal in swimming and in the butterfly stroke for the first year.

Thomas excelled and entered the commercial competition circuit, winning StarQuest, Showbiz, and Star Power dance competitions. As he continued to work as an étoile, "leading dancer" or actor in the Paris Opera House, he aspired to be an action-movie actor.

Personal life

Thomas has one daughter, Anami Halo Ramacandra (meaning "nameless angel of God), and he is married to Adrienne Canterna, his long-dance dance partner.

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Early career and continued training

Thomas began his dance lessons at The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., at the age of 12. He also studied at The Washington School of Ballet. Thomas' father will bring his son to see several ballet companies perform at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His father would then ask dancers if they would teach his son classes, which they inevitably did. Thomas studied under Dawei Zhang at the Maryland Youth Ballet at the age of thirteen, and Thomas of Zhang said, "the technique I learned from him is the blueprint that has allowed me to have a career." He became the youngest person to win the Jury Prize at the 1994 Paris International Dance Competition at the age of thirteen. Despite being accepted into Kirov for the 1996 Varna International Ballet Competition, the school had a rule prohibiting only qualifying dancers certain to win the gold. Thomas billed the Seiskaya School of Ballet of New York instead (with whom he was doing guest performances at the time) and Gerald Arpino, Arthur Mitchell, and Debbie Allen sponsored him at a cost of $30,000. He received the Junior Gold Medal at the conclusion of the competition, becoming the youngest to win and suffering on a foot injury in karate class. "Look out, world, baby," The New York Times announced after his triumph. Rasta Thomas has arrived." Thomas performed in 1995 as a member of Le Jeune Ballet de France, and the Hartford Ballet invited him to be a principal artist in 1997. Thomas earned the gold medal, a scholarship, and a cash prize in the senior men's division at the 1998 USA International Ballet Competition.

Professional career

Despite being a youth, he was allowed to perform in the USA International Ballet Competition's senior division in 1998. Thomas won the gold medal and became the youngest to win in the senior division at 16 years old, defeating Mikhail Baryshnikov's previous record age of 18. The success gave the dancer new opportunities. He and three other dancers, including Adrienne Canterna, created the piece for the tenth season of The Vain International Dance Festival later this year. In 1999, the couple appeared at the festival for the second time.

He returned to the United States to begin his business career: he recruited an agent, danced in a GAP commercial, and performed a solo in the Debbie-Allen choreographed 1999 Academy Awards. Thomas conceived and directed In Homage: A Tribute to Families With AIDS, a benefit for Self-Help Community Services and its Family Home Care services. He was enjoying commercial success and widespread success, but after a chat with Arthur Mitchell, one of his mentors, he decided to "return to an artist's path."

In what would be their last season, Thomas moved to New York City and joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem (under Mitchell's tutelage). Thomas decided to become a guest dancer rather than signing to another company. A friend told Thomas that he was wasting his talent by only attending galas when Thomas was dining with choreographer Vladimir Angelov. Angelov agreed, noting that outstanding souseurs are likely to work for premier companies. Angelov introduced Thomas to Gerhard Rieder, who directs the Kirov Ballet in Europe, who in turn introduced Rasta to Kirov's company manager, Makharbek Vazv. Thomas was invited to appear in Kirov's three-hour gala in St. Petersburg in February 2001. To rave reviews, including Valery Gergiev, artistic director of the Kirov Ballet and Opera, he choreographed a dance Angelov choreographed to "Flight of the Bumblebee." While granting him freedom and independent work, Vaini invited Thomas to live with the ballet and a stipend of $150 per month; Thomas declined due to a filming commitment to the film. Without a Word, Vaziv extended his invitation to the fall. Though Thomas loved the filming experience, he discovered that his dancing career was finite. He wanted to dance in Russia for six months with the Kirov Ballet. In October 2001, Rasta became the first American to become a member of the Kirov. Although there, he most notable performed as Jester, Carmen's bullfighter, and Le jeune homme et la mort's Young Man. Thomas became dissatisfied with the company's internal politics and moved back to Maryland in February 2002. He carried the torch and performed in the opening ceremonies of USAIBC in October.

Thomas has appeared with such companies as: 2000-Present: Dance Theater of Harlem, Washington Ballet, City Dance, Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Company, Lar Lubovitch Ballet, Orlando Ballet, K Ballet, Alonzo King's Lines Contemporary Ballet Company, Complexions, Ballett, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, American Ballet Theater, Kirov Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, etc. 1990-2000: Le Jeune Ballet de France, Joffrey Ballet, Maryland Youth Ballet, Arlington Dance Theater, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet Theater, Victor Ullate, National Ballet of China, Hartford Ballet, Inoue Ballet, Philadanco, Imperial Russian Ballet, Le Jeune Ballet, Le Jeune Ballet, Berlin, France.

In a Lar Lubovitch production of Othello, Thomas danced in the ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House as a guest artist. Timmy appeared in Patrick Swayze's 2005 DVD One Last Dance as Timmy. Thomas appeared in Elemental Brubeck's US debut in 2005 as a soloist. "A creature of the stage, his presence is magnetic (if lacking nuance), and he relishes all the scrutiny he demands," Dance Magazine said in reaction to his performance. NY Critic Mr. Thomas' triumph The piece's success, according to the designer's "innate wisdom and nuanced phrasing that explains Mr. Thomas's stunning, crystal-clear presentation," according to the New York Times. "Dance Review; A Leaping Man in Red, Propelled by Classic Brubeck" is a speech by Sulcas, Roslyn. The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City. He appeared on Broadway as the lead actor Eddie in the hit Broadway comedy Movin' Out and then went on to work with the Movin' Out touring company the following year. Thomas was featured on the movmnt magazine's winter 2006 cover. For "Poetry in New York," Rafael Amargo's flamenco musical "DANCE REVIEW," he choreographed and performed a well-received "stand-alone ballet solo," he choreographed and performed. "DANCE REVIEW: Using Flamenco to Evoke Lorca's Time in New York" he choreographed and performed a well-received "stand-alone acrobatic ballet solo" a The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City. Thomas gathered several top-profile young dancers and invited them to compete in an open video competition, where amateurs could enter a three-minute video of their solos via YouTube or divacom.com. Spirit of Dance. Thomas and 11 other gold-medal winners of previous USAIBC tournaments were included in a one-night-only IBC Reunion Gala in Jackson, Mississippi, in July 2008.

"For me, artistic freedom means everything." To be successful in this world, you need to hear your ideas and give you loans so that you can bring your artistic vision to life. The career is too short not to reach high heights (June 2008), "Moving Pictures."Dance Magazine. Thomas, the dancer within (2008) Thomas was interviewed for the book The Dancer Within: Intimate Conversations with Great Dancers by Rose Eichenbaum, a collection of interviews with leading dancers. "Residing in the Body" refers to the singer. Dance Magazine. The book came with Eichenbaum's touring photography exhibition, as well as The Dancer Within, which sought to commemorate "the act of dancing and the lives of dancers."

Thomas founded the Bad Boys of Dance company in 2007 (BBD). BBD selected dancers with strong technical backgrounds from competitions, Broadway, Juliard, etc. They appeared at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July 2007. Though initial critical reactions were split, the general reaction was enthusiastic. After seeing one of Thomas's early performances, Jennifer Dunning of the New York Times called it "the dance equivalent of a water-bomb gang" and said that the BBD "resembles a group of friends, gifted performers with personal appearances who love one another's company and blessedly haven't an inch of earnestness in them. "Jennifer Dunning (July 31, 2007), "Dance Analysis – Bad Boys of Dance – A Troupe Keeps the Jinks Just as High as Possible" The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City.

Rasta Thomas' "Rock the Ballet" was created in the summer of 2008 to highlight BBD. They made their international debut at the St. Pauli Theater in Hamburg, Germany. BBD incorporated jazz, hip hop, tap, and gymnastics into ballet for some of today's most popular songs. So You Think You Can Dance alumni include Craig DeRosa, Nick Lazzarini, and Danny Tidwell. "The Bad Boys are looking good," the narrator says. Dance Spirit.

Since 2007, BBD has hosted over 1,000 performances, recruited over 100 dancers, and entertained over one million spectators around the world. "Jeté to Jackson" was the theme at the USAIBC ceremonies on June 12, 2010. DANCE Magazine is a newspaper distributed in the United States. BBD has appeared on Europe and Australia's most coveted stages. BBD has appeared on many television shows in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Japan, Italy, etc. Suzanne Farrell, Paul Taylor, Mercedes Cunningham, Mark Morris, and others were among BBD's honored guests in the documentary "Never Stand Still" by Bill T. Jones. The documentary was shot in select theaters and later broadcast on PBS. Both BBD and Armenia were invited to be cultural ambassadors for tours and workshops in India and Armenia, as part of the US State Department's Art in the Embassies Program. In Rasta Thomas' "Romeo and Juliet" and Rasta Thomas' "Tap Stars," BBD appeared in Rasta Thomas' "Romeo and Juliet" and Rasta Thomas' "Tap Stars."

On the ABCs America's Got Talent, Bad Boys of Ballet was used on behalf of Bad Boys of Dance in 2014.

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