Rick’s early training years began with tap dancing, eventually branching out into professional studies of classical ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary dance (training with teachers like David Howard, Finis Jhung, Christine Busch, Bruce Marks, Laura Young and Geri Houlihan). He also trained in other disciplines (trumpet, physics, and later on, guitar studies and various studies in business).

 

After an extensive career in dance and acting that includes performances with Ballet Austin, Boston Ballet and Delta Festival Ballet, as well as three years of work in film and television in Los Angeles doing hip-hop, jazz, and ballet (with choreographers like Twyla Tharp, Joe Layton, and with film directors like Mark Rydell, and James Brooks), Rick joined La La La Human Steps in Montreal in 1993, with whom he danced and toured the world for 8 years. As with many dancers and musicians, Rick is also a composer, a dance and acrobatic choreographer, and judges dance competitions, and teaches various workshops around the globe.

 

For the last 16 years he has been a Talent Scout specializing in dance at Cirque du Soleil.  Rick’s contributions to the Casting Department has extended itself to contributing to and drawing up new operational and business strategies, as well as contributing to creative and innovative internal and external strategies of various types.

Rick also works closely with International Performing Arts & Theatre (I-PATH) through leading dance education in the 21st Century.   He is a member of Phoenix Associates in the UK, an organization that offers opportunities and masterclasses to students aged from 6 right through to professional dancers.

In 2016, he joined the creative team of the Cirque du Soleil Big Top touring show Volta as an acrobatic choreographer, and In 2018, he started up the online choreography market Choreography Online with two partners, which had its official public launch in September, 2019.