JOFFREY CONCERT GROUP
EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BRADLEY SHELVER
About the joffrey concert group
The Joffrey Concert Group was founded in the early 1970s and incorporated as a not-for-profit in 1981, and is currently led by Artistic Director Bradley Shelver. As the resident dance company of the Joffrey Ballet School, this pre-professional performing ensemble provides young artists from the School's year-round Trainee Program the opportunity to experience life as a professional dancer
In the years since its inception, Concert Group dancers have toured domestically and internationally, performing some of the most celebrated classical and contemporary repertoire. This includes the works of Gerald Arpino (Birthday Variations, Light Rain), Robert Battle (Battlefield), George Balanchine (Serenade), August Bournonville (La Ventana), Dwight Rhoden (New Work), Africa Guzman (The Stolen Path), Bradley Shelver, Eric Trope, Lindsay Grimes, Vernard J. Gilmore, Eryn Renee Young, Thang Da, Tsai Hsi Hung, Omar Ramon de Jesus, and Ken Ossola.
The Concert Group has toured and performed at world-renowned theaters and festivals, including Bryant Park Summer Stage, Spring to Dance Festival St Louis, LAM Dance Festival, New York Live Arts, EJ Thomas Hall in Akron, "Lighten Up" Festival, ICONS Dance Festival, to name a few.
ABOUT BRADLEY SHELVER
Executive Artistic Director & Resident Choreographer
Joffrey Concert Group
Bradley Shelver trained at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg, South Africa and The Ailey School in New York. He was the Acting Artistic Director of the Jazz & Contemporary Trainee department at the Joffrey Ballet School from 2024-2026 and is currently the Artistic Director of Contemporary Ballet Studies at the Joffrey School and sits on the Artistic Advisory Board of the Metropolitan Opera in NYC.
He has danced with Ailey II, Elisa Monte Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, The Francesca Harper Project, Limón Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theater (UK), and in projects with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co., Lar Lubovich Dance, The Universal Ballet, Radio City Music Hall, and in productions with the Mark Morris Dance Group. He is in his 17th season as a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. He has choreographed works for; Contemporary West Dance Theater Graham 2, Saint Louis Dance Theater, Richmond Ballet, Ailey II, Ballet Austin, Lustig Dance Theater, Compania Rio Danca, New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, Cape Dance Company, Cedar Lake 2, Sobers & Godley Dance, as well as creating works for The Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet Schools, Joffrey Ballet School, Central Ballet School (London) The Ailey School, Boston Conservatory, Long Island University, Purchase College and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the founder of Bradley Shelver Contemporary Dance Theater.
He was co-producer and curator for the annual REVERBdance Festival from 2010-2016. From 2013-2016, he was the Artistic Director of the STEPS Repertory Ensemble and the Production Director for Steps on Broadway. He was the Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Dance Festival Company from 2018-2020. Mr Shelver is an Adjunct at Montclair State University and on the faculty of schools and universities worldwide including; The Ailey School, The Graham School, La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts, Joffrey Ballet School, Bikuratim (Israel), Pan American Modern Dance School (Brazil), Hinton Battle Academy. (Tokyo) DAR Jazz Academy (Russia), ABT/JKO, Limòn Institute, Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet Schools, Ateballeto, Company teacher for Mathew Bourne’s “Adventures in Motion Pictures”, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Lion King, and The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. He is a certified ballet teacher with the ABT National Training Curriculum. He was a contributing writer for Dance Spirit Magazine and His book, “Performance Through the Dance Technique of Lester Horton” is available worldwide.
