KEITH CLIFTON Keith Clifton has been in business as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer for the last two and a half decades. He has performed in five Dr. Pepper comercials, three for Wendy's as well as commercials for Dodge, MacDonald's, Levis and many more.
He has performed on the stage in musicals including 42nd Street, George M, Oliver, My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, and Anything Goes, for which he won the Dramalogue's Critics Choice Award for Best Choreography. His television credits include apperances in The Academy Awards Show, the Tim Conway Show, The Carpenter's, Wolfman Jack, and David Copperfield. Keith has also traveled as a guest artist to perform with regional ballet companies in lead roles such as: The Nutcracker, Copepelia, Swan Lake, and Firebird.He has staged and directed the entire Nutcarcker ballet for The Irving Ballet of Dallas, Texas. In 1993 Keith was commissioned to restructure the entire jazz and tap syllabus for the New Zealand Association of Modern Dance. He is a co-founder of the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and LA Danceforce Convention.
Keith continues to teach around the world staying current with all the latest trends in choreography. He has taught dance throughout the United States as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, San Salvador, and Guatemala.
We are excited to have Keith back as part of our faculty for DDI 2024!
Whitney Crites Brown Bio & Headshot coming soon!
Brandon Leffler Bio & Headshot coming soon!
NICK DRAGO Nick Drago, a native Texan and graduate of Oklahoma City University, is a dancer, writer and producer for the film and television industry. Drago, now residing in Los Angeles, has appeared in roles in front of, as well as behind the camera, in numerous productions over the past 20+ years. His television performance credits include Scrubs, Wizards of Waverly Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Beat Band, Palm Royale, Dancing with the Stars, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lucifer, Schooled, Bravo’s Step It Up & Dance, Terminator, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Wet Hot American Summer, How I Met Your Mother, Goliath, The Afterparty, Chippendales, Bob Hearts Abishola, Fuller House & Glee. Drago’s live televised performances include MTV’s VMAs, Fashion Rocks with Rihanna, The Backstreet Boys, The Emmys, Golden Globes, The Video Game Awards and The People’s Choice Awards. He has been fortunate to dance in music videos for Jessica Simpson (Boots), My Chemical Romance (Helena), Finger Eleven (Paralyzer), Capital Cities (Safe and Sound) and others for One Republic, Duran Duran, Demi Lovato, Will Butler, Melody Gardot, and the All American Rejects. Among others, he has appeared in films such as La La Land, Alvin & The Chipmunks (as Theodore’s Dance Double), The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, Hop, TheMuppets, G.I. Joe 2, Vice and Renfield. Commercially, Drago has worked with Exxon-Mobil gasoline, Jaegermeister, Smithfield Ham, Ford, Dickies, Delta, San Miguel Beer and RINVOQ. He has also appeared alongside Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser), and Leslie Sansone (Walk At Home) as talent in their respective fitness videos and as an approved on-air guest for QVC. While still performing, Drago is also a writer focusing on features, but has been hired to write for award shows, music videos, independent shorts, concepts, and numerous projects in the fitness industry.
Erick Yanez From his humble backyard to world-class stages! At the age of sixteen, Erick Yanez drew inspiration from the Jabbawokeez and began teaching himself the basics of hip hop from YouTube videos. After his first “pop and lock,” Erick fell in love with dance, enrolled in his high school’s dance classes, and was quickly propelled into teaching opportunities in his small hometown of Burnet, TX. Scoring well at local competitions led to greater opportunities to train from world-renowned choreographers including Matt Steffanina, Parris Goebel, Nappytabs, and Nick DeMoura. While establishing his name in hip hop, Erick began booking industry jobs. He has performed in music videos for Sean Paul, K Camp, Tory Lanez, and D Woods; traveled with an artist as a backup dancer; and choreographed commercials for Keds, Quaker State Motor Oil, and Suavs Shoes. Though he is now based out of Austin, TX, Erick currently travels the country teaching masterclasses and choreographing for dance studios, high school teams, officer camps, and even the Sacramento Kings NBA hip hop team! But above all, Erick enjoys teaching for Dupree Dance Convention, for whom he has had the pleasure for the past six years. Chances are that if he’s not dancing, Erick will have a camera in his hand. Around the age of twenty, Erick discovered a need and a passion for dance videography. Just as he did with dance, Erick taught himself how to film from tutorials on YouTube. Today, he has produced videography for many different industries including dance, automobiles, real estate, music, fitness, and corporate finance. While grateful for all his success, Erick is focused on educating, creating content, and providing opportunities for dancers hoping to pursue the industry.