JOSÉ DE LA CUESTA

Jose is a well-known director/choreographer who recently relocated to Palm Springs from New York City. Credits include “A Chorus Line,” “Sugar Babies,” “Evita,” “South Pacific,” West Side Story,” Dreamgirls, “Rent,” and “42nd Street.”

His work has been performed twice at Carnegie Hall and he wrote and directed “A Funky Fairytale,” an original production for Trump’s Casino in Atlantic City that received a great deal of critical acclaim and was held over twice.

Jose received the prestigious Carbonnell Award for Best Choreography for “42nd Street” at the Broward Stage Door Theater in Florida. As a performer, Jose has worked in all areas of performing and has toured extensively in the United States and internationally with shows such as “Peter Pan,” Dreamgirls,” and “42nd Street.” He has also worked with such stars as Chita Rivera, Barbara Eden, Brooke Shields, and Lonnie Anderson, among others.

He is also a renowned teacher and has worked at several studios and universities nationwide. He is currently on the staff of Metropolitan School of the Arts in Alexandria, Virginia, and One Broadway in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was also an adjunct professor of dance at Farleigh Dickinson University. He was also the resident director/choreographer for Hershey Park for many years as well as writing their shows.

His work there won several awards for Best Theme Park Shows nationally and internationally. After a ten-year hiatus, he recently returned to the park to choreograph two shows to great critical acclaim.

Jose has also directed more than a dozen shows for the 450-seat Axelrod Theater in Deal New Jersey, including “42nd Street,” which was nominated for 13 Perry Awards and went on to win five, including for Best Director, Best Choreography, and Best Musical. At the Axelrod Theater, his show “West Side Story” won three Perry Awards, including for Best Director, Best Choreography, and Best Musical. His production of “Frostie Follies” is performed each Christmas Season in Alexandria, Virginia, to great critical acclaim.

He’s currently on the staff at Beyond the Beat dance studio in Palm Desert, California, where he teaches adult tap and theater jazz, and teaches for MTU ( Musical Theater University), a musical theater program at Rancho Mirage High School.

He made his West Coast choreography debut with a production of Ballroom at the Coachella Valley Repertory Theater