DEREK MITCHELL

Contemporary / Jazz Funk / Theatre Jazz / Theatre Dance

Derek Mitchell is one of todays most sought out choreographers and is currently the Resident Choreographer for “HAMILTON”-An American Musical (West Coast Companies).

He has choreographed projects utilizing almost every style of dance and that versatility makes him an asset to any project. He has numerous credits in TV, Film, Stage, Commercials, Music Videos and Concerts. Derek has been teaching for over 20 years and was on the cover of the October 2014 Dance Teacher magazine. Derek was nominated 3 years in a row for The Capezio A.C.E. Award for Choreographic Excellence.

Derek has choreographed a total of 15 Contemporary Jazz and Street Jazz duets and Group pieces for “So You Think You Can Dance” – Ukraine. and most recently choreographed the NBA Playoffs Nationwide Flash Mob event, Ameritrade National conference with Hillary Clinton, the opening number for The International Kids Emmy Awards, The Wendy Williams Show 5^th season TV Commercial, Cornell University Gala and an industrial for Guardian Life Insurance.

Derek choreographed 3 years in a row for Jerry Mitchell’s “Broadway Bares” Benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids at Roseland and Hammerstein Ballroom. Derek has choreographed music videos and world tours for Taiwanese Superstar “Jolin Tsai”, “Sylvia Tosun” -Billboard Magazine’s #1 Dance recording artist (National Tour including the House of Blues in Atlantic City with Freedom Williams, music videos for “Push ‘n’ Pull”, “5 Reasons” and “World Keeps Turning”), and for Billboard Top 40 Dance Artist “Bex” (“What You Are” and “Life of the Party”) both music videos and live performances.

Derek has choreographed over 300 Flash Mobs including- 2 time Latin Grammy Award winning artist “Fonseca” in Times Square, the NBA 5-city Playoff celebration, Sears Industrial starring Emmy Winner Derek Hough, NY Color make-up, YouTube viral sensations “Wedding Proposal in Bryant Park-Flash Mob” (featured on The Piers Morgan Show-CNN, The Today Show) and the “Bollywood Wedding Proposal” Flash Mob (featured in the NY Post, Nightline and Good Morning America). He is a resident choreographer for “The Brooklynettes” (Brooklyn Nets dance team) and the NY Knicks City Dancers 2009/10 season halftime shows as well as choreographer for the Aldo shoes 2010 worldwide print campaign, Industrials for Clarins Cosmetics, Calvin Klein and Pepsi and choreographed/directed the Step-Up 3-D promo for Disney.

Derek currently lives in NYC where he teaches Street Jazz and Contemporary Jazz in NYC at the world-renowned institution Broadway Dance Center. He has also been on Faculty at Steps on Broadway, Peridance Capezio Center and as a Fitness instructor at Crunch Fitness for 13 years. He created, directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway dance drama “Thin Line“ at Dance Theatre Workshop, starred in the Off-Broadway productions of “The Karaoke Show” (also choreographer), “The Donkey Show” (Dance Captain and Associate Choreographer) both under the direction of Tony award winning Director, Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair and Porgy and Bess)-. He also performed with Lindsay Lohan on “Saturday Night Live,” and for the R&B group New Edition.

Derek Mitchell formed Derek Mitchell Dance Company which has performed at NY and LA Choreographers Carnival, Sirens After Dark, Pushing Progress, Young Choreographers Festival, The BDC 25^th Anniversary Gala, Sybarite, Brooklyn Dance Festival, APAP festivals and the Capezio A.C.E. Awards.

Derek has also worked as a stylist in collaboration with Elle Magazine’s Creative Director and Fashion Icon Joe Zee in styling Justin Timberlake and his dancers for Nickelodeon, Cameron Diaz, Hilary Swank, Britney Spears, JC Chasez, Kelis, Mary J. Blige and dancers for GAP and most notably Madonna and Missy Elliot’s dancers in their infamous 2004 GAP commercial.

Derek has taught master classes all over the world including The Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive, NIKE BLAST 2013 in Sweden, The Complexions Winter Intensive, Argentina, France, Ecuador, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Austria, South Africa, Israel, The Ukraine, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos and Canada. He has taught for many acclaimed dance conventions including The Pulse, REVEL, WILD, MOVE NY (TOKYO The Company), Artistic Dance Exchange, Dance Olympus, Dance Masters of America, Wild About Dance, MOTIV8, Thunderstruck, Headliners, NADAA and for the dance department at Dean College. His classes and choreography have been featured on Britneyspears.com, THE A-LIST, CBS, VH1, NY1 News, W Magazine, Piers Morgan, CNN, Good Day NY, The Today Show, TV Guide, Elle, Time Out, U.S. News and World Report, Women’s Wear Daily and Crunch magazine.

In 2009 Derek was Dance Teacher’s Instructional Teacher of the Month. He has been profiled in numerous articles in Dance Teacher, Dance Spirit, Dance and Dancer magazines.

Picture and bio courtesy of the teacher.