New York performer returns home to teach South Lake Tahoe youth

New York performer and choreographer Sebastiani Romagnolo grew up dancing with Marcia Sarosik at her South Lake Tahoe dance studio, and he returned to those roots this week to help teach the next generation of performers.

The 2007 South Tahoe High and 2011 New York University (NYU) graduate took time out his hectic east coast schedule to head west to visit family in South Lake Tahoe, and visits to town always include a stop by Sarosik's studio.

Many may remember his talent as he headlined many South Tahoe High musicals, and now he's entertaining audiences in New York.

Romagnolo, who was known as "Bubba" during his SLT days, now lives in New York where he works as a performer, choreographer, and yoga teacher.

He has recently been splitting his time performing and choreographing in Musical Theater and performing in new non-traditional theater that is contemporary dance based.

It was his musical theater experience that he passed onto local dancers, showing the elementary, middle school and high school classes how to tell a story with their dance, face, motions and breath. He worked with the dancers on routines for “Hairspray” and “Kiss Me Kate,” and taught the high school couples three new lifts.

This year, Romagnolo choreographed shows at Yale University, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Mac-Haydn playhouse in upstate New York (where his work on Hello, Dolly! was recently nominated for Outstanding Choreography in the Berkshire region). Some of his favorite shows he has choreographed are: The Producers, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Spamalot, The Wild Party, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Spring Awakening.

Romagnolo was in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" this past summer as well as a couple other productions. He also choreographed Hello Dolly for which he has been nominated for a Berkie award for choreography.

The busy young man also finds time to work as an associate to the Tony Award winning choreographer Chris Gattelli (Newsies). With Chris, he has worked on the development of Newsies, War Paint, In Your Arms and Spongebob Square Pants the Musical.

As a performer, "Bubba" has performed at Regional Theaters, Lincoln Center, Off-Broadway, and as the original cast in the New York Times' Critic's Pick: The Grand Paradise. He has been doing summer stock for years and has worked in the midwest and was in the off-Broadway show, “Grand Paradise."

"But most importantly he is a proud shining star!" said Marcia Sarosik. "He is a master teacher of the highest caliber. I have been attending dance teacher workshops and bringing in master teachers for over 30 years. His skills as an actor, dancer, director and choreographer and his ability to teach a variety of age groups effectively puts him at the top. The classes were amazing!"

Romagnolo was going to stay through Wednesday and teach more classes at the studio, but he got called to a New York audition for "Angels in America" on October 25.