Note: Corey’s Final known Performance as Billy in London was July 5, 2008
Debut: May 16, 2007 (London)
Note: Corey also performed the role in Sydney, Australia, loaned to that production of the show because of an injury to one of its regular Billys. Corey’s Australian performance data was not reported and is unknown.
Total Performances as Billy: Unknown (Unreported data from the period he was Billy) (Recorded data: London = 95.5 — includes 1 partial show credited @ .5 — Australia = unknown)
American actor Corey Snide, London’s 10th Billy and the second American to play the role, was born in Albany, New York on 19-Dec-1993. Corey has been dancing since the age of three and has won many awards in dance competitions since then. His early dance training came at Eleanor’s School of Dance in Albany. It was there that he learned Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Street and Tap dancing. Among his awards are Gold Medals in Tap and Show Dancing (International Dance Organization, Riesa Germany – 13 and under). He has also won the New York City Dance Alliance’s Mini (Under 10) and Junior (Under 11) Outstanding Dancer Awards.
When Corey first auditioned, it was with the hope of getting selected for the Broadway BETM production that was to open in 2008. Recognizing his talent, but realizing that he’d be too old for the role by then, it was decided by the BETM creative people to send him to London to perform in the show there. So he packed his bags and traveled to the UK, where he moved into the Billy House with other young members of the BETMUK cast to prepare for his West End debut. That debut at the Victoria Palace Theatre (VPT) came on 16-May-2007 at the age of 13. Corey would be in the London show until July of the following year.
However, in the meantime he was called upon, not once, but twice, to travel to Australia to cover for injured Billys in the BETM production of the show that had opened in Sydney. In November of 2007 he went to Sydney to cover for an injured Nick Twiney. Because of small differences in the London and Sydney productions of the show, he had to rehearse with the cast there before debuting on 8-Dec-2007. He performed in Sydney until 19-Jan-2008.
Back in London, Corey needed to get back up to speed with the London production of the show. He did a couple of shows at the VPT on 20-Feb and 22-Feb before learning that he was being sent back to Australia to cover for yet another injured Billy there (Lochlan Denholm). He was only needed this time for about three weeks and resumed doing performances in London on 20-Mar-2008. After about 100 shows as Billy in Australia and London His final performance as Billy in the West End came on 5-Jul-2008.
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As noted above, the original profile article was authored by porschesrule. The Life After Billy segment, below, was researched and written by rsbatchelor.
Life After Billy
2008 – Returning home to Albany after BETMUK, Corey attended Colonie Central High School. Corey alternated the leading role of Evan in Jason Robert Brown’s 13 The Musical on Broadway September 2008 to January 2009 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway.
2009 – Corey was co-star in the pilot for the Cupid TV series created by Rob Thomas where a man, Trevor Hale, believes he is Cupid sent down from Olympus by Zeus to connect 100 couples.
2010 – In February 2010, Corey reprised the role of Evan in 13 The Musical in Albany, NY. He competed in the 2010 New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) Nationals, winning a four-year college scholarship at Marymount Manhattan College.
2011 — Corey appeared as a dancer in ABC’s One Life to Live. He performed to Mr. Bojangles in a tap number at the New York City Dance Alliance Gala. In 2011, Corey was accepted to The Juilliard School in New York City.
2012 – In 2012, while Corey was a freshman in The Julliard School, he was a three-time National Outstanding Dancer at New York City Dance Alliance. The video below was his tap dance in Orlando to the song, What if You by artist Joshua Radin.
Credit: Video by New York City Dance Alliance
Corey also started teaching dance internationally in 2012.
2013 – Corey performed a self-choreographed tap solo Take the “A” Train, music by Nikki Yanofsky, in a student choreography showcase called Choreographic Honors at The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in Lincoln Center.
2014 – Corey performed Lauren Adams choreography, What Can I Do? At the Pushing Progress Showcase Series at Salvatore Capezio Theatre at Peridance May 2014.
Credit: Lauren Adams Choreography
At the close of his Junior year in Juilliard, Corey performed another self-choreographed solo Red Dust performed again at Choreographic Honors. Corey then traveled in the summer to Montreal to participate in Springboard Danse Montreal. He worked with artist Peter Chu and Madboots Dance Company.
2015 – Corey was the featured performer in Al Blackstone’s Not For Me at the Fire Island Dance Festival, 2015, which was to benefit Dancers Responding to AIDS.
Credit: Al Blackstone
Corey graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Upon graduation, Corey joined the Papermill Playhouse’s production of The Bandstand directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler.
2016 – Corey continued teaching internationally before returning to the Broadway stage. He danced in Destiny Rising at The Joyce Theater on April 18, 2016 for the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation.
As the Dance Captain, Corey performed almost every male track and even some of the female tracks in the Broadway Revival of CATS. Corey covered Magical Mr. Mistoffelees in the Broadway Revival of Cats. Corey continued to choreograph such numbers as Tomorrow’s Song by artist Ólafur Arnalds, which received awards at the Starquest Competition for dancer Ashley Cromack.
2017 – Corey appeared in the telefilm show Dirty Dancing as a dancer and assistant choreographer in 2017 for ABC Family choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler.
2018 – Corey was a swing and dance captain for the Carousel revival directed by Jack O’Brien in 2018 at the Imperial Theatre, Broadway. He choreographed BC Beat 13 for Spring 2018, dancing with his fellow performers. Corey was a dancer in an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
2019 – Corey relocated to the United Kingdom to assist the choreography and perform in Tom Hooper’s CATS choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler. He also appeared as a young Bob Fosse, tapping in the pilot of FX’s Fosse/Verdon.
Upon his return, Corey danced and choreographed The Nearness of You in collaboration with singer Shonica Gooden for Leg Up On Life’s ART/Pact at Le Poisson Rouge. Corey originated the role of Tiger while understudying the lead role of Riff in the 2019 West Side Story Revival directed by Ivo Van Hove.
Corey at the Premiere of Fosse Verdon/Credit: IC Photo
2020 – During the pandemic, he Co-Founded the Capital District Arts Initiative— an all-inclusive arts empowerment initiative in New York’s Capital Region to promote accessibility, affordability, and sustainability for artists of all kinds as well as to promote and advocate for a more collaborative creative community. In April of 2020, Corey taught a musical theatre number to All That Jazz number for an New York City Dance Alliance Virtual Experience.
Credit: Video by NYCDA Virtual Experience
2021 – Corey continued his international career as an educator. Corey performed as Persephone Dancer in the TV mini-series Halston in 2021. He also danced in the 2021 hit film In The Heights.
2022 – Corey continues to run his performing arts education school and production company in upstate New York, Capital District Arts Initiative. Corey also co-starred with Alessandra Marconi in the impromptu Living Without Film with the help of Sam Cieri. Corey and Ali started filming in October of 2020. The film which “shows the story of loss from two different perspectives,” from Overlook Mountain in Woodstock, NY was submitted for and won film festivals in 2022.
Awards:
Corey received the Fred and Adele Astaire Award from NYCDA Foundation, and the Gene Kelly Legacy Award from Dizzy Feet Foundation twice.
For more information about Corey, visit:
Billy Elliot The Forum, Wikipedia, Corey’s Facebook, Corey on Instagram
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