DANCE IN THE PARKS
Headshot of Tom, a white man with curly dark hair, a mustache and light beard He's wearing a colorful jacket and is looking away to from the camera with his hand on his chin

TOM MATTINGLY

CHOREOGRAPHER

he/him

Born in Sidney, MT, Tom Mattingly began his dance training in California's Mojave Desert. He received full scholarships to the summer intensives of San Francisco Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, and the Rock School for Dance Education. Tom completed his training with Virginia School of the Arts and was named the 2005 recipient of the Dame Margot Fonteyn Award for Artistic Excellence upon graduation.

Tom’s professional career included Richmond Ballet, Chautauqua Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet before joining Ballet West in 2008. There he tackled many leading roles under the watchful eye of ballet greats such as Cynthia Gregory, Anna Marie Holmes, and Sir Anthony Dowell. Proving to be a versatile and dynamic performer, Tom quickly rose through the company ranks and by 2013 was promoted to principal dancer.

 In 2014, Tom relocated to Chicago to join the newly formed  contemporary ensemble Visceral Dance Chicago. After two years, he was hand picked to join the first national tour of An American in Paris, the four-time Tony Award winning musical directed & choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. In 2019, Tom joined Madison Ballet as Ballet Master.

In 2021, Tom was named Artistic Director of Ballet Des Moines. The company experienced a remarkable transformation under his leadership growing from 9 dancers to 21 in just 3 years. Tom brought a fresh repertoire to the company including works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Jennifer Archibald, Stephanie Martinez, Mariana Oliveira, Katlyn Addison, Shannon Alvis, and Peter Anastos.

Tom continues to work as a passionate choreographer, teacher, and coach. His choreographic style is known for its emotional physicality, approachability, and evocative storytelling. To date he has created world premieres for National Choreographers Initiative, Ballet West, Ballet West II, Ballet West Academy, Dance in the Parks, Richmond Ballet, Madison Ballet, Utah Arts Festival, Ballet Arkansas, Charlottesville Ballet, Elite Choreographic Initiative, Arova Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet Des Moines.

Tom is widely known as a calm creative force. His working style is rooted in the principles of creativity, kindness, and collaboration. This open and communicative style puts others at ease, allowing the focus to remain solely on the work at hand.
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