Get on your feet for Clayton Rosa
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Clayton Rosa, best known as Clay is a Dutch Caribbean Curaçaoan professional dancer currently based in London, England. He is experienced in acting, modeling, and trained dancer in jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, ballet, salsa, and modern dance styles.
He never held back to pursue his passion and discovered what he was meant to find in his true purpose of life in dancing. Born on July 29th, 1990 as the youngest child consisting of two older siblings from Tera Cora, Curaçao. Davin Rosa his older brother is also a known Curaçaoan artist (make-up artist and dancer).
Clayton was born with the rhythms of ritmo kombina, tambú, tumba, mazurka, seú, and his talent growing up developed to be representative to all what he does. He had no time for anything else but Mariah Carey, because there is no bigger fan we’ve seen with Antillean roots than Clayton Rosa – he has competition but definitely, he goes through high and low with his admiration for Mariah Carey.
He graduated from Peter Stuyvesant College/Kolegia Alejandro ‘Jandi’ Paula and was nationally known as the youngest dancer of the first season of the competition tv-show CuraStars Dance where he finished 3rd place after Kimberly Martis (2nd) and Gwensley Paula (Winner).
Prior to competing on the CuraStars Dance, Rosa spent a few years as lead dancer and touring with ‘Kombinashon Modèrno’ back then the greatest dance group the Dutch Caribbean has ever seen.
In the early 2010s, he traveled to pursue a study in dancing as All-Around Professional Dancer at the Albeda Dans College in the Netherlands.
While he was studying, Rosa developed his skills as an independent solo dancer, he started touring with other artists in Europe as a highlight working as a dancer in the Villa Thalia Dinner Shows, Kinky Academy Fashion Hair shows, Duinrell Theater shows, a backup dancer of Nelson Freitas, Tatiana Durao, appeared on MEO Festival Portugal, Popster Studio 21, and promoted Kenzo Parfum Totem Orange Belgium, Guerlain Parfum Rotterdam, and many more.
Born to do this Clayton’s breakthrough and movements have touched the theatrical stage during season 2017 – 2018 in the Dutch production of ‘On Your Feet!’. Which catapulted his career, where he performed in the Belgium version of ‘Dancing with the Stars’, in the K3 musical movie ‘Love Cruise’.
A little more about the feelgood musical On Your Feet! played on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre, tells the heartwarming and true story of love, origin, and ambition of two people who believed in their talent, dreams and in each other.
Together they became an international sensation of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria and Emilio Estefan. This jukebox musical contains all the iconic Latin, Cuban-fusion pop music made famous by Gloria Estefan like ‘1-2-3’, ‘Conga‘, ‘Get On Your Feet‘ and ‘Rhythm Is Gonna Get You‘. The musical also features the original song ‘If I Never Got to Tell You’ with lyrics by Gloria Estefan and music by her daughter Emily Estefan.
The musical received seven Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, three Drama League Award nominations and a Tony Award nomination for Best Choreography. And they won the special award of Best Ensemble during the Dutch Musical Gala Awards which similar to the Dutch Tony Awards.
The first production outside the USA after playing on Broadway for two years, started previews on October 17, 2017, in the Netherlands. The production was produced by Stage Entertainment and played at the Beatrix Theater. The Dutch cast featured Vajèn van den Bosch as ‘Gloria Estefan’, Jim Bakkum and Tommie Christiaan played ‘Emilio Estefan’, Nurlaila Karim as ‘Gloria Fajardo’ and Ellen Evers as ‘Consuelo García’ and Clayton Rosa as part of the ensemble.
The season, especially 2018 brought Clay amazing opportunities as he was also Choreographer for the music video of Maaike Ouboter. He performed all over The Netherlands with Stage Entertainment’s On Your Feet ensemble, also he appeared in the Gouden Televizier Ring Awards, was a dancer for the famous hip-hop guy band ‘Broederliefde’ concert, and Schwarzkopf Hair Show in Belgium.
Claytons’ magical performance as part of the OYF Dutch ensemble opened his doors and the attention British production of ‘On Your Feet!’. On Your Feet opened in the West End in June 2019 at the London Coliseum. Prior to a tour of the UK and Ireland. The cast features Broadway star Christie Prades taking the role of Gloria Estefan joined by George Ioannides, who will play Emilio Estefan, Gloria’s husband.
The cast besides Clayton Rosa also includes Hollie Cassar, Francisco Del Solar, Katie Dunsden, Eduardo Enrikez, Laura Friedrich Tejero, Denzel Giskus, Francesca Lara Gordon, Yonly Leyva Desdunes, Elia Lo Tauro, Martin McCarthy, Alicia Mencía, Ciro Lourencio Meulens (Curaçaoan fellow), Carl Patrick, Julia Ruiz Fernandez, Shanna Michelle Slaap, Dawnita Smith, Frank van Hengel, Despina Violari and Alain Zambrana Borges.
On Your Feet! is directed by Kinky Boots‘ Jerry Mitchell, with choreography by Sergio Trujillo, and a book by Alexander Dinelaris. It is produced in London by Jamie Wilson, with Colin Ingram and Peter Kane for InTheatre, Curve and Marc David Levine.
Gloria Estefan announced there are several international productions in the works. International tours and sit down productions have also been announced for Germany, Italy, Mexico, Japan, and France.
Knowing the widely talented and amazing person he is, we wish Clayton gets to grow even more as an artist and develop his international career with this top-of-the-line production and team, and capturing this experience and different views on things so he can embody a better artistic vision for the future of our nation.
Clayton’s legacy comes from his supportive non-traditional family but most importantly it is eminent to put a spotlight on his mother a major supporter of his dreams since conception, and his fiancee Alexander Nicolai that serves as a testimony through his social outings that love provides the most important backbone for balance and stellar stardom.
WENSHOW 