Ayodele Casel, an award winning "tap dancer and choreographer of extraordinary depth" (The New York Times) and one of The New York Times' "Biggest Breakout Stars of 2019", is currently in rehearsals as the Tap choreographer for the highly anticipated Broadway Revival of "Funny Girl". She won a 2021 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production for “Chasing Magic,” a dance film and concert encapsulating the wonder of collaboration and artistry. Ayodele was also a 2019-2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and Artist in Residence at Harvard University.

Born in The Bronx and raised in Puerto Rico, Ayodele began her professional training at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Her origins in theater and love for storytelling and tap dance have significantly contributed to the narrative nature of her work, which is rooted in the expression of identity, culture, language, and communication. Ayodele is Artist in Residence at Little Island, a new outdoor performance park on the Hudson and was on the Artist Council for NY Pops Up!, a New York State lead initiative to jumpstart live performances in NYC. She is Resident Director, with Torya Beard, for Dance Lab New York's inaugural Tap Dance Project. She has been a dance educator for over 20 years and is co-director of Operation Tap, an online tap dance educational platform. Ayodele is a featured tap dancer honoring the art form of tap on a 2021 US Postage Stamp.

"Casel... is an ebullient performer, so full of life that for a little not to rub off on her audience is inconceivable.” - Gia Kourlas, American Theater Magazine 

“Ayodele is one of the best tap dancers in the world - A phenomenal performer who just blasts onto the stage like a cannon.” - Jeanine Tesori 

“A tap dancer of fine-grained musicianship… Dancing or talking, she’s a grounded charmer.” - Brian Seibert

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Photo credit: Patrick Randak