Corey Baker (choreographer) explained

Corey Baker
Birth Date:6 June 1990
Birth Place:Christchurch, New Zealand
Dances:Classical, contemporary

Corey Baker (born 6 June 1990) is a New Zealand classical and contemporary choreographer, film director and former dancer.

Early life

Baker was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 6 June 1990. He attended a rural primary school in Canterbury.[1]

At age fourteen, he was aspiring to be a musical theatre actor in high school. His English teacher, who ran a ballet class in the center of town, saw him tap dancing in the corridor because of his interest and said, "Ballet will help with that." Baker left high school at fifteen to join the International Ballet Academy (IBA) in Christchurch; he danced full time for a year. His lead teacher at IBA was Carl Myers.[1]

Career

In 2017, Baker became one of three resident choreographers at the Royal New Zealand Ballet.[2] In 2018, Baker created the first professional dance performance in Antarctica, which was filmed for Channel 4 (UK) and aired on Earth Day 2018.[3]

In 2020, Baker received a "Culture in Quarantine" commission from the BBC and remotely directed and choreographed a 3-minute film titled Swan Lake Bath Ballet, filmed by 27 elite ballet dancers in their homes during COVID-19 lockdowns.[4] [5] The film was released in July 2020 and went viral,[6] with over 4 million views by the following month.[7] The film won the 2021 Prix Italia award for web fiction.[8]

In 2021, Baker created two dance films focusing on climate justice: Blown for the BBC[9] and Leaders of a New Regime,[10] which uses Lorde's track of the same title. Dance Race, a commission for the BBC's Dance Passion season,[11] was broadcast on BBC3 in March 2022.

Baker was chief choreographer and movement director for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[12]

Personal life

Baker was in a relationship with American actor Jonathan Groff from 2018 to 2020.[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Interview: Corey Baker, the biggest NZ dance star you've never heard of. Anna Frances. Pearson. The Spinoff. 29 July 2016. 12 June 2021.
  2. Web site: Featured New Zealand Dance News – June 2018. Di Orio. Laura. 4 June 2018. Dance Informa. Dance Magazine. 1 December 2018.
  3. News: Dancing on Antarctica ice a historic first for Kiwi dancer. Christian. Dionne. 10 December 2017. 1 December 2018. The New Zealand Herald.
  4. Web site: Please Enjoy the Quarantine Genius of "Swan Lake Bath Ballet". Margaret. Fuhrer. 8 July 2020. 12 June 2021. Pointe Magazine.
  5. Web site: Swan Lake Bath Ballet to be performed in dancers' own bathtubs. The Guardian. Chris. Wiegand. 27 May 2020. 12 June 2021.
  6. Web site: The Choreographer's New Skill Set: Working From Home. Chava Pearl. Lansky. 21 December 2020. 12 June 2021. Dance Magazine.
  7. Web site: Corey Baker Dance has created a new short film entitled Swan Lake Bath Ballet. 20 August 2020. 12 June 2021. Dance Informa.
  8. Web site: 2021 Winners and Special Mentions . 21 March 2022 . Rai.
  9. Web site: BBC Scotland - Blown.
  10. Web site: Lorde's climate-conscious track travels to COP26 by wind power . 21 March 2022 . nowness.com.
  11. Web site: BBC Arts - BBC Arts - Gear up for Corey Baker's ultimate Dance Race . 21 March 2022 . BBC . en-GB.
  12. News: 2 June 2022 . Commonwealth Games: Rehearsals begin for Birmingham's opening ceremony . en-GB . BBC News . 27 July 2022.
  13. Julie Andrews, Jonathan Groff. List of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert episodes (2019). The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. CBS. 21 October 2019. 5. 817. Note: A short clip from the home movie was played for the television audience..
  14. News: Jonathan Groff Is a Seymour at Heart. Paulson. Michael. 21 October 2019. The New York Times. 21 October 2019. en-US. 0362-4331.
  15. Web site: Corey Baker. 4 March 2016. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191022161636/https://www.alvinailey.org/ailey-school/corey-baker . 22 October 2019 . 22 October 2019.
  16. Web site: Corey Baker — RNZB. Royal New Zealand Ballet. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190801115040/https://rnzb.org.nz/backstage/leaders/corey-baker/ . 1 August 2019 . 22 October 2019.
  17. Web site: Interview: Corey Baker, the biggest NZ dance star you've never heard of. Pearson. Anna Frances. 20 July 2016. The Spinoff. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160723083823/http://thespinoff.co.nz:80/featured/20-07-2016/interview-corey-baker-the-biggest-nz-dance-star-youve-never-heard-of/ . 23 July 2016 . 22 October 2019.
  18. Move Beyond Words: Corey Baker. Spotify . Arifien. Elizabeth. Edmonds. Charlotte. 1 December 2021. 41:30. 30 December 2021.

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