Danny Ryan

Danny Ryan (he/him) began his creative career as a child, bringing life to G.I. Joes, making baseballs out of rags and duct tape, and playing soldier in the forest on summer camping trips. It was the fascination of taking a little bit of magic and imagination to create something from nothing that attracted him to the arts and specifically to dance. 

Danny began his professional ballet training at the age of fifteen in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI with Rafael Delgado. From that humble beginning, he was able to further his studies at the Joffrey Ballet School (NYC) with teacher and mentor John Magnus. Through that training he secured a ten year professional career with major companies Louisville Ballet, Kansas City Ballet and Texas Ballet Theater to name a few, as well as international performance credits.

Since retiring from the stage Danny has cultivated a thriving career as a Dance Educator - serving students nationwide, Community Engagement Manager - creating curriculum and working with students in their classrooms to support their academic studies through movement at Title 1 Elementary Schools, and eventually as Associate Artistic Director of the Colorado Conservatory of Dance. 

In 2018 Danny and his family relocated to Milwaukee where he stepped outside of his career in the arts and for 6 and a half years thrived as Operations and Specialty Assistant Store Manager for the Home Depot. It was with Home Depot that he honed his skills around business acumen, leading people through a values based lens, and serving his community.

​These diverse experiences bring Danny back to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp (SFAC) where he served as Dance Faculty for 5 consecutive summers beginning 2014, and co-founded Dance Alaska Project with long-time collaborator Adam W. McKinney. It is with great joy that he is able to join the incredible creative minds of this organization as the Operations Coordinator to help serve SFAC's mission and continue to grow SFAC into the future. Here's to wonder, creativity, community, art, and the human experience!