जीवनी
Dan Yonah Ben-Dror Marshall was born in Jerusalem to a French-Moroccan mother and a Latvian/Lithuanian-American father. A lifelong student, performer, choreographer, and teacher specializing in various styles and fusions of Jazz dance, Funk, Latin, Hip Hop, Ballroom, Ballet, Modern, Tap, and World/Folk, Dan has produced and directed numerous variety shows and workshops. His notable credits include directing, producing, and choreographing "Cafe Latino," a premier collaboration involving his Latin-Jazz dance company FreEMotion, Tango Fever and Tango Mundo dance companies, and two Latin orchestras; creating original choreography for Boston and Colorado productions of "Fiddler on the Roof"; choreographing and performing a Folk Waltz suite for the Amherst Ballet Theatre Company accompanied by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra; and participating in musical theater productions with Arena Civic Theater and The Country Players in Western Massachusetts. While studying engineering at UMass Amherst, Dan completed the full BFA dance curriculum and taught Israeli and International Folk Dance within the Performing Arts Division for five years, producing numerous performances with his students and collaborating musicians and singers.
Dan’s 25 years of martial arts training encompass both traditional and modern Chinese Kung Fu (Wu Shu) styles such as Nam Pai Shaolin, Ba Ji Chuan, Pi Qua, Praying Mantis, Hua Mountain Style, Tai Chi, Hung Gar, Eagle Claw, Northern (Long) Fist (Chang Chuan), Southern Fist (Nan Chuan), as well as Wu Shu weapons forms including Long (Bow) Staff, Spear, and Double Broadsword. He has also trained in Japanese Judo and Karate. Dan has taught Kung Fu and Cardio Kickboxing to all age groups for over 16 years. In 1998, he joined the Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi Institute, where he studied, taught, and competed under Sifu Yao Li’s mentorship. He appreciates the strong connection between martial arts and dance, which has deepened his engagement with the modern Chinese Kung Fu art of Wu Shu.
Holding a BA in Mechanical Engineering, Dan has also completed two years of Northeastern University’s MA program in Computer Engineering. With a longstanding background in musical theater and song-and-dance performance, he has recently appeared in numerous feature films, TV shows, internet programs, and theatrical productions. He looks forward to a fulfilling career as an actor and as a film writer, producer, and director. Alongside his artistic endeavors, Dan works part-time as a consultant in various areas including non-profit and for-profit business development, artist space creation, finance, and technology. He also serves as a cantor at a synagogue and is actively involved in reestablishing the BCCA at a new facility in Boston.
