In 1965, Nahat was invited by Robert Joffrey to join the newly formed The Joffrey Ballet. He appeared with the re-organized company at the June 1965 White House Festival of the Arts under President Lyndon B. Johnson, then performed with the company its public debut in August at Jacob’s Pillow with Ted Shawn. In 1966 he performed with the Joffrey when it became the official company of the New York City Center known as the Joffrey City Center Ballet. While at the Joffrey, Glenn Tetley created GAMES OF NOAH on him. He also created roles in the new version of LA FILLE MAL GARDEE staged by Fernand Nault, CLOWNS by Lottie Goslar, INCUBUS, VIVA VIVALDI and OLYMPICS by Gerald Arpino, GAMELON by Joffrey and a new work, OPUS JAZZ by Sokolow. While at the Joffrey daily classes and rehearsals were intense and famed ballet master gave strict guidance from Argentina, Héctor Zaraspe, American Dance Historian, Lillian Moore, Chicago’s Enda McRae and Joffrey. No classes or rehearsal could be missed, the company flourished. Jeffrey asked him to teach daily classes for the company and at the companies American Ballet Center. In 1966 he left the Jeffrey due to an injury he joined the original Broadway cast of SWEET CHARITY starring Gwen Verdun and performed 8 shows a week for the next two years. Among his other Broadway credits include performer and assistant choreographer to Gillian Lynne in the 1967 debut of HOW NOW, DOWN JONES starring Tony Roberts, Marilyn Mason, and Brenda Vicar. He directed and choreographed the New York City Industrial presentation of JP Stevens/Celanese textiles and fabric Industrial Show based on CAMELOT and Guinevere’s Torso. During his Broadway years he continued his studies with Anthony Tudor and Margaret Crake at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. 

     In 1968 he joined American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and in 1969 he choreographed MOMENTUM and BRAHMS QUINTET for the company. He continued his daily training with ballet master and mentor, William Griffith and with one of the great ballerinas of the Ballet Ruses de Monte Carlo, Maria Slobodan. He was a favorite dancer of choreographer Leonie Massine and in 1968-69 he recreated roles for Nahat in GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE and ALEKO and taught him his THREE-CORNERED HAT. Nahant subsequently choreographed five original works for ABT. He 

was one of three dancer/choreographer who immerged during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s that ABT and Elliot Fled, Michael Smuin and Nahat all eventually went on to head their own major ballet companies. At ABT, he danced in Felds, HARBINGER, and AT MIDNIGHT and performed the premieres in Smuin’s PULCINELLA VARIATIONS and GARDENFEST. He was promoted to principal dancer and performed with internationally known ballerinas such asEleanor D’Antuono, Cynthia Gregory, Toni Lander, Roni Mahler, Natalia Makarova, Carla Fracci, Zhandra Rodriguez, Mimi Paul and Sally Wilson. He has performed in tens of ballets by many of the greatest choreographers of the 19th and 20th century. During his ten-year career as a dancer with ABT, he was best known and critically acclaimed internationally as one of worlds finest caractère dancers of his generation. 

     In 1971 he again performed in one of the oldest and most important ballets in ballet repertory by Jean Dauberva, this time staged by Dimitri Romanoff as the Lead Gypsie in LA FILEE MAL GARDEE. He was particularly famous for his interpretation of classic roles such as Madge the Witch in LA SYLPHIDE from August Bournonville, Carabosse in the first THE SLEEPING BEAUTY production of 1976 from Marius Petipa and staged by Mary Skeaping, the Drummer and Head Mistress in David Lachine's GRADUATION BALL and HELEN OF TROY. He danced the principal character Spalanzani/Doctor Miracle/Dapertutto in TALES OF HOFFMAN choreographed by Peter Darrell in 1973. He became legendary in the role of The Devil in Agnes de Mille’s THREE VIRGINS AND A DEVIL and taught the role of The Devil to Mikhail Baryshnikov. He later staged it again for ABT in 2003 and for Oakland Ballet. He received critical acclaim as the Charlatan and Petrushka in Fokine’s PETRUSHKA and he performed in THE RIVER working with composer Duke Ellington and choreographer Alvin Ailey. In 1976, celebrating America’s Bi- Cenntenial, he danced and at the same time, played the fiddle, was caller and baton twirler in de Milles, TEXAS FOURTH. Limón acclaimed him in the roles of The Moor and Iago in THE MOOR’S PAVANE and A Follower in THE TRADER. In 1973 he was asked to film his ballet SOME TIMES for Bavarian TV. As well, his major accomplishments were performances in Jerome Robbins’ NY EXPO; OPUS JAZZ, FANCY FREE and LES NOCES, Mercutio in Antony Tudor’s ROMEO AND JUILET, DARK ELEGIES, JARDIN AUX LIAS (Lilac Garden), PILLAR OF FIRE and GALA PERFORMANCES and Alias in BILLY THE KID from Eugene Loring. He performed the pas de duex and solo in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s CONCERTO and George Balanchine’s THEME AND VARIATIONS. He also performed solo roles Harold Landers ETUDES, Tomm Rudd’s POLYANDRION, MISS JULIE by Birgit Cullberg and LES PATINEURS by Ashton. His performances extended into other de Mille’s ballets such as RODEO, FALL RIVER LEGEND and A ROSE FOR MISS EMILY. In 1972 he performed as a guest artist with the London Festival Ballet and recreated his MENDELSSOHN SYMPHONY for the company. As well, he created ONTOGENY for the Royal Swedish Ballet (RSB) before bringing it to ABT. That same time he staged his BRAHMS QUINTET for the RSB and he introduced José Limón to legendary premier dancer and close friend, Erik Bruhn at a private dinner at his NY apartment. They were both long time admirers of each other but had never met. Bruhn was the Artistic Director of the RSB and subsequently invited Limón to stage two works for the RSB, THERE IS A TIME and THE MOOR’S PAVANE. 

      While still with ABT, he choreographed and directed Shakespeare plays for the New York Shakespeare Festival and in 1971 he was asked by Joseph Papp and Bernard Gerstein to ‘Doctor’ and re-choreographed the Broadway, National Company and London’s West End Tony award- winning hit musical version of TWO GENTLEMEN FROM VERONA. In 1972 he conceived the staging and choreographed Tom Stoppard's JUMPERS starring Brian Bendford and Jill Clayburgh, which appeared at the Kennedy Center and the Billy Rose Theater on Broadway. In 1975 he choreographed the original Broadway musical version of GOOD TIME CHARLIE starring Joel Grey and Ann Reinking. 

      Still performing with ABT, working around the world and on Broadway, in mid 1971 - 1972 he co-founded the Cleveland Dance Center in Cleveland, Ohio with Ian (Ernie) Horvath, and four years later as an out come of their school in 1976, they founded Cleveland Ballet and renamed the school as the official School of Cleveland Ballet. They invited prima ballerina Cynthia Gregory to dance with the company where she appeared each season as permanent guest artist and Nahat created over five new works for her and continued dancing in major premieres such as THE NUTCRACKER and SWAN LAKE. Together the danced in, BRAHMS QUINTET, GRAND PAS CLASSIQUE, GRAND PAS DE DIX, IN CONCERT, and MacMillian’s CONCERTO. In addition to his dancing with ABT, and starting the new Cleveland Ballet, he choreographed Anne Bancroft's ballet sequences and staged additional scenes in the film THE TURNING POINT, and he played himself in the same movie appearing on the big screen in 1977. In a short time, Cleveland Ballet would develop into what New York and International writer, Walter Terry would describe as “one of America’s freshest and fastest growing companies in the country.” And Clive Barnes said, “something is happening at Cleveland Ballet – a company to seriously watch...” It made its New York City debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1979 and broke box office records presenting two programs with six ballets of works by Nahat, Horvath including Kurt Jooss’s THE GREEN TABLE. Write Doris Herring wrote, “this Company is what ballet in America is all about...” It toured the East Coast of America and appeared in Toronto where Erik Bruhn said, “after only five years, this company has no right to be this good this young...” It would last for the next 28 years and beyond. Nahat became the Company's sole artistic director in 1983 when Horvath retired from the Company. 

      At the Cleveland Ballet, Nahat created over 80 works including major productions that were the lifeblood of the company continuing to perform in THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, COPPÉLIA, ROMEO AND JULIET, GISELLE, A MDUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and an original Holiday two-act ballet, THE GIFT. These ballets along with CELEBRATIONS AND ODE have broken box office records making them individually the most profitable ballets at their premier performances. His CARMINA BURANA has continued to be a sell out at each performance since 1997. He has performed in his own THE NUTCRACKER without missing a season for 30 years. 

     He has commissioned music for dozens of works and continued to stage major works by Balanchine. He took his company of dancers on tour, choreographed and danced in PAINT YOUR WAGON staring Gordon MacRae produced by the Kenley Players. He continued to bring in works by Massine, Tudor, Limón; Juilliard classmates Louis Falco, Lar Lubovitch and Murray Louis created BY GEORGE for Nahat. Works by Jooss and Flemming Flindt and American choreographers Smuin, Donald McKayle, and Murray Louis were presented during the 1990’s and he traveled to Paris to meet with legend, Roland Petit and brought his CARMEN to the company in 1990. Ballet San Jose is the only company in the America that was allowed to produce the full CARMEN by Petit. Ballet San Jose’s long relationship with Flemming Flindt reached back to the early 1970’s. Ballet San Jose is a repository of Flindt’s greatest works. His discovery and reproduction and choreography of August Bournonville’s THE TOREADOR is also the only one of its kind in the world. He recreated the role of Akaky Akakievich for Nahat after Rudolf Nureyev in THE OVERCOAT. Flindt and Nahat dedicated these performances to the memory of the their friend and worlds greatest dancer, Nureyev. Other notable productions he choreographed were, TOMMY starring Bette Midler for the Seattle Opera and DIE FLEDERMAUS for Cynthia Gregory and Beverly Sills at New York City Opera. He co-conceived with writer of The New Yorker magazine, Brendon Gill, directed and choreographed the production of MEETING MR. IVES based on the life of American composer Charles Ives for Lenox Arts Center in Massachusetts, and the San Francisco Opera. He later created the ballet THINGS OUR FATHERS LOVED expanding his idea of using Ives songs and orchestral pieces based on the things American fathers loved. He has appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show with Gwen Verdon dancing I’m a Brass Band from Sweet Charity and Carol Baker in Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend. He also choreographed AIDA for Cleveland Opera and choreographed and danced a solo at the Grand Ball as The Famous Nahat! in DIE FLEDERMAUS. In 1985 he choreographed Igor Stravinsky’s RENARD for the Cleveland Orchestra under conductor Christoph von Dohnányi and its premiere was at the Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, New York City. On that same evening Nahat flew back to Sea World were he choreographed and performed with his Cleveland Ballet at the opening ceremony of the new Penguins Pavilion in PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ where he tap danced as a Penguin and swam with Sahmu, the killer whale with ballerina, Ellen Costanza. He conceived and staged the gala, AN EVENING FOR AGNES with guest artists such as composer Morton Gould, and staged her two most famous works, FALL RIVER LEGEND and RODEO. Agnes de Mille received a 10-minute standing ovation when she appeared on stage and the company with all the guests received another 13 minute standing ovation at the end of the performance. Nahat toured and performed solo with de Mille in a demonstration of DANCES THROUGH THE AGES with de Mille narrating. 

      In 1980, Nahat created CELEBRATIONS, part 1 of the full evening work to come in 1984 when Nahat prepared his company for the opening performances in their new home at the State Theater, Playhouse Square in CELEBRATIONS AND ODE a full evening work to Beethoven’s 7th and 9th Symphonies in their entirety. Famed ballerina and teacher, Roni Mahler joined the company as teacher in the School, Ballet Mistress and Artistic Assoicate. Her work with the company gave the women a new lease on their careers and she remained associated with the company until Nahat’s departure in 2012. In 1985, Nahat collaborated with the Ballet Guild of San Jose Chairwomen Karen Loewenstern and Vice Chairwomen Anita Del Grande in the co-venture between San Jose, California and Cleveland, Ohio known as Cleveland San Jose Ballet. He fashioned one of the most highly acclaimed ballet companies in the country and developed two internationally known schools in both cities and continued created over 100 works for his company and others. It became a model in the United States in ballet co-ventures between cities and the longest running successful co-venture in history. He presented other companies to his audiences including Twyla Tharp Dance Company, the Royal Birmingham Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, American Ballet Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Houston Ballet, The Moscow Ballet Theater, Sydney Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Martha Graham Dance Company and José Limón Dance Company. In 1996 he conceived, choreographed and directed his ground breaking rock and roll BLUE SUEDE SHOES (BSS). In 2019  Nahat staged the work on The Alabama Ballet.  Celebrating BSS's 26th annivesary the Alabama Ballet will restage the work in February 2022. Set to 36 original songs by Elvis Presley and with sets and costumes designed by Bob Mackie. He created a National Tour of the work and televised it for Public Television under the direction of Tony Charmoli where it appeared on 350 stations raising funds for PBS. It received two Emmy nominations for the best broadcast in dance. It also broke box office records at its premiere in Cleveland and San Jose. Cleveland San Jose Ballet performed full seasons in both Cleveland and San Jose communities for 15 years together until the Cleveland based company folded after over 30 years serving the greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio and it was reborn as Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley in October 2000 (Ballet San Jose and in 2015 renamed Silicon Valley Ballet) and instantly, once again, became the newest professional ballet company in America opening with a new repertory three weeks later in San Jose, California, its new home base. In 2000 he created the staging and choreography in SAMPSON AND DELILAH as a gift to the Opera before leaving Cleveland for San Jose. 

     In 2005, his collaboration with Ann Woo, Phil Young and Yong Yao of Chinese Performing Arts of America (CPAA) resulted in the ground breaking hit 3 act ballet, MIDDLE KINGDOM ANCIENT CHINA. He traveled to China three times to supervise the building of the sets and costumes. Nahat has choreographed works for American Ballet Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, and the Royal Swedish Ballet, and staged many of his ballets for Hartford Ballet, The London Festival Ballet, Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas, St. Louis Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Company C, Menlowe Ballet and many others. In 1993, he created the collaboration with Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and artistic director Bobby Barnett and Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas, former ABT colleague and ballerina/director Zhandra Rodriguez. He formed what was an unprecedented three major ballet company performance cycles of productions that allowed them to work together presenting performances from coast to coast. During 1993-94-95, he sponsored and directed the Cecchetti Council of America and brought the programs to Cleveland, Ohio where some 200 teachers and dancers attended the seminars. The National Executive Board consisted of some of America’s finest teachers of the Cecchetti system. Among them the legendary Sylvia Hamer, Jane Caryl Miller, Enid Ricardeau, and Kay Bliss. He is a five-time recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize’s and two Cleveland Magazine Arts Prize Awards. He was the most recognized person in the city of Cleveland above the major in a survey during the 1990’s and, in 1995 he received the American Dance Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in New York City. Since 2000 he has served as Artistic Director of New York’s Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts ballet program and since 2009 serves is advisor and teacher. In 2002 he invited Lainie Kazan, Broadway stage, screen and television star to perform with the Ballet San Jose in his revival of IN STUDIO D. In 2002 he received the California Dance Educators Association Award presented at San Jose Sate University and, in 2005 Nahat received the Arts Council Silicon Valley Artists Fellowship for Choreography. In 2008, he was presented with the Dance Master of America Award for Lifetime Achievement for the advancement of dance in America and the world. In 2010 he received the ABBY award from the Arts Council Silicon Valley for Leadership in the Arts and a special recognition for 45 years Tenure in the Arts. 

     In addition to leading Ballet San Jose and its professional school, Nahat serves as choreographer, judge and teacher for competitions, seminars and companies throughout the world. He was asked by Doris Herring to teach The Art of Choreography at college campuses across he United States. He was invited four times to Denmark, Copenhagen where he taught the art of choreography, pas de deux (dance for two or partnering) and repertory classes at the prestigious Bartholin International Ballet Seminar. Nahat served as emcee at the USA International Ballet Competition (USAIBC) in Jackson, Mississippi with Broadway Star, Ann Ranking, taught the competitors daily classes, taught The Art of Choreography class along with other international guest artists such as Laura Alonzo, Robert Barnett, and George Zoritch and coordinated the choreography for the Competition Gala. He has served on the International Selection Committee over the past 16 years at the prestigious USAIBC. Nahat has also served as teacher and judge at The International Ballet and Modern Competition at USA International Ballet Competition, Nagoya and Tokyo, Japan and Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2010 he was invited to Tokyo, Japan to teach and judge at the Nippon Ballet Association Competition and he returned in 2011. 

     His proudest achievement for Ballet San Jose was his work coordinating the China Goodwill and Cultural Exchange Between Two Great Nations Tour of 2008. His work took him to China eight times over a 4-year period developing the tour, which took the company to an unprecedented eight major cities in China during five weeks starting in Shanghai where Ballet San Jose performed in Balanchine’s Serenade and Nahat’s CARMINA BURANA with the Shanghai Symphony and 135 singers of the Festival Choral of Shanghai. Other programs included Nahat’s THE FIREBIRD, ONTOGENY, Pas de Cinq from his SWAN LAKE act I, MENDELSSOHN SYMPHONY and Introduction to Dance. He worked closely with international known Sylvia Young and continues a close collaboration with her as Ballet San Jose’s Overseas Travel Advisor. His relationship with the Chinese Ministry of Culture and arts organizations throughout China continues today in a stream of communication and collaboration of Good Will. 

     No longer with Ballet San Jose (Silicon Valley Ballet) company he developed, after 40 years as Founding Artistic/Executive Director of Ballet San Jose, in January 2012, he set his sights on his newest company unveiling Theatre Ventures International School and Productions (TVI) in San Jose in April 2012. The new guiding forces behind TVI are Sylvia Young where her international connections helped in major contacts throughout the world, Ronald Young and his expertise in finance and John Gerbetz solid theatrical foundations in film, photography, music and business savoir faire. 

     In January of 2011 Nahat once again collaborated with Ann Woo from CPAA to creating the new International Arts Competition in San Jose, California. His Ballet San Jose’s 2010-2011 season celebrated its 25th Anniversary of performing and presenting professional dance in San Jose, California and the greater Bay Area. 

In 2012 he created a new production entitled YULAN a multi-media international cultural extravaganza with its world premiere-taking place on November 28, 2012 in Dalian, China. For the same troupe, a new idea of a Nutcracker entitled TERRACOTTA NUTCRACKER. Working closely with two of China’s theatrical leaders, Qi Chinsheng and Zhao Bin with the Dalian Acrobatic Troupe in Dalian, China. He collaborated creating the work with renowned American Composer Paul Chihara and recorded the score for YULAN in China coordinating all the musicians and working closely hiring musicians with renowned Chinese composer, Dr. Jiaojiao Zhou while also working exclusively with Mr. Sean Wang coordinated contracts and financial arrangements for touring personnel and production elements. Nahat arranged and toured the 105 performers in both productions of the Dalian Acrobatic Troupe of Dalian throughout China and to California in the United States where he presented them in San Jose, Pasadena and Los Angeles. In March of 2013 Nahat staged a new work for Charles Anderson’s Company C performing in Walnut Creek, San Francisco and the Bay Area, California. In 2014 he staged his Pas de Cinq except from his full length SWAN LAKE for Michael Lowe’s Menlowe Ballet and also recreated his classical ballet from 1977, IN CONCERT for Menlowe Ballet. On August 1, 2014 his TVI Productions produced Dionne Warwick in concert at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose for the Sister City International Conference. 

     His new TVI opened Fall Semester ballet classes in August 2014. Exclusively, Dennis Nahat taught ballet classes for his TVI 2015 Summer Steps program. In 2015, Nahat working with CEO/Founder, Aasim Saied, joined his AKYUMEN Technologies, Silicon Valley’s newest hi-tech company producing and hosting the inaugural opening and unveiling at the AKYUMEN new world headquarters in Los Gatos, CA and where he is Executive Producer/Entertainment Advisor. AKYUMEN is the world’s first Smartphone with built in Projector, and more...

    Currently, with Lea Vivante McKayle, Executor/Artistic Director, Nahat serves as Associate Artistic Director/Producing Manager to THE DONALD McKAYLE LEGACY. The late Professor Donald McKayle, recipient of dozens of honors and awards in every aspect of theater and his illustrious career, has been named by the Dance Heritage Coalition "one of America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: the first 100." McKayle was Nahat’s mentor and teacher at the Juilliard in 1963. From then on to today, Nahat has strives to produce his works and teaching all the while McKayle has inspired the dance world and thousands of artists worldwide. 

     Through TVI, Nahat produced and stage-managed the new International Performing Arts of America (IPAA) premiere performance in San Jose, CA on August 26, 2018 with formidable dancer/choreographer and new artistic director, Yang Yang. The IPAA Festival featured diverse dance groups from America, Silicon Valley and other countries. As well, CASH was again presented in Sacramento and Folsom, CA – created by choreographer and former ballerina, Sunny Mitchell, this cavalcade of Johnny Cash music, dance and friends is a show stopper with 17 dancers/singers and live musicians. Country at its best! 

 

Among Nahat’s passions is training young dancers of all ages, gardening and cooking.