W hen Gregory DeSantis of Manalapan was much younger he kept the fact that he was a student of dance to himself. He started taking acting lessons at age 8 because he believed dancing was traditionally for girls — even though men started dancing first, but just not in our society, he added.
Gregory DeSantis He soon changed his beliefs when, due to a scheduling conflict at Center Stage Dance and Theater School, where he studied at the Marlboro and East Brunswick campuses, he had to take a jazz dance class. DeSantis discovered then that dancing was for him. When he was required to take ballet the following year in order to participate in competitions, he found he had a passion for that form of dance as well.
DeSantis, 20, now takes center stage up to nine times a week in the role of James in the Broadway national tour of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp’s “Movin’ Out.” The role involves strictly dancing and, as far as he is concerned, the more people who know about it, the better.
The story of “Movin’ Out” is told completely through dance numbers choreographed by Twyla Tharp in combination with 24 classic songs by Billy Joel that are performed by a live band onstage. There is no dialogue. The Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of lifelong friends through two turbulent decades that change them and the world around them forever.
During a March 12 telephone interview conducted from a tour bus making its way from Ohio to Illinois, DeSantis, a 2006 Manalapan High School graduate, explained that he was accepted as a member of the 22-person cast of “Movin Out” after attending a callback audition at which Twyla Tharp was present. He had just finished his sophomore year at North Carolina School of the Arts (now called University of North Carolina School of the Arts), where he was majoring in ballet at the time. He took a leave of absence from the university, began rehearsals in September 2008 and hit the road in November.
DeSantis said he plans to complete his bachelor of fine arts degree sometime in the next few years, but said he is focusing on his dancing career right now.
During his stint with “Movin’ Out,” De- Santis and his fellow cast members will have performed for audiences in almost every state in the country by the time the tour reaches its final destination of Philadelphia in May. The troupe had celebrated its 100th performance on this tour two days prior to Greater Media Newspapers’ interview with DeSantis.
DeSantis said he is looking forward to performing in his home state of New Jersey when the itinerary leads the national tour to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on April 3 and the State Theatre in New Brunswick on May 13-14.
“I’m really looking forward to coming to the Northeast,” he remarked.
DeSantis said he believes about 40 people he knows will be in the audience at the Count Basie Theatre and upwards of 200 DeSantis supporters will be at the State Theater.
“The whole dance studio, family, friends and teachers should be coming,” he explained. “I’ll have the hometown advantage.”
This will not be DeSantis’ first performance at the State Theatre. He performed on that stage annually many times with Center Stage School.
“It’s fun to perform for strangers all over the U.S., but it’s nice having people in the audience that you know. I’m excited about that,” he said.
On a recent break from the “Movin’ Our” tour, DeSantis visited the Asher Holmes Elementary School in Marlboro where his aunt, Fran Bilon, is an instructional assistant in Jaime Allen’s third grade class. The pupils have been tracking his course across the country as a sort of “Where’s Gregory?” geography project, as DeSantis described it.
Bilon said the children were excited to meet DeSantis in person and asked questions about the show and his travels.
DeSantis said he gives credit to his Aunt Fran for taking him to see “Movin’ Out” on Broadway in 2003.
“I would have never known about this show if she didn’t take me in 2003, so kudos to Aunt Fran,” he said.
In addition to his aunt, DeSantis has a very proud core family in Manalapan that includes his parents, Jo and Sal, brother Garrett, 16, a junior at Manalapan High School, and sister, Gabrielle, 10, who attends Lafayette Mills School. Garrett is a gymnast and Gabrielle goes to Center Stage for dancing. She hopes to follow in her brother Gregory’s footsteps.
DeSantis said despite the fact that he works hard he is enjoying this experience immensely.
“It’s always been my dream to get paid to do the things I love to do,” DeSantis said. “Then there’s the added bonus of seeing the country along with pursuing your passions. I don’t know what else you can ask for other than living your dream. It’s really great.”
For ticket information for the “Movin Out” Broadway national tour at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on April 3 at 3 p.m., contact the box office at 732-842- 9000 or www.countbasietheatre.org.
For the State Theatre performances in New Brunswick on May 13-14 at 8 p.m., contact 732-246-SHOW (7469) or www.statetheatrenj.org.
Contact Amy Rosen at [email protected].

