Matthew Reiner hails from the small rural town Springfield, Minnesota, and attributes the early formations of his artist career to his time living there.  While technically taking a year of dance since he was 5, Matt wouldn’t officially study the form until he was much older. 

 

Living in Minnesota, he studied and participated in both speech and the dramatic arts, while also becoming a varsity athlete in 3 sports.  Upon graduation from high school, Matt relocated to California where he studied at the University of California Irvine.  It is here that he discovered his passion for dance and began training at the age of 18. 

 

While at UCI he trained in many styles, including: ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, and breakdancing.  Matt graduated from UCI with a BA in both Film and Media Studies, and Criminology Law and Society in June of 2012.

 

Afterwards, Matt became a scholarship student at the Jimmie Defore Dance Center, where he continued to train in both classical and street styles. In 2014, he began substitute teaching at Defore and became a permanent faculty member in 2015 teaching Jazz.  Matt joined NBDT in February of 2013 through his connection to then ballet mistress, Maria Sifuentes.

 

He has been a part of many tours, kid shows, and performances since joining. He also performed in both Camelia La Tejana and Hydrogen Jukebox in connection with the Long Beach Opera. He also joined Inked Dance Company, under direction of Brian Moe, in 2014 as well as performing in smaller productions, including a large flash mob for Vans sneakers. 

 

Recently Matt filmed a small role in the Independent film “Waiting in the Wings The Musical: Still Waiting.”