Matthew Shaffer

For 25 years, Matthew Shaffer has been cultivating conversations and sharing stories across stage, film, and television as a performer, director, choreographer, and writer. His nonfiction books—So You Want To Be A Dancer and Dancing Out of the Closet—extend that storytelling to the page, exploring identity, artistry, and the pursuit of connection. With an interdisciplinary MFA, Shaffer approaches research and creation as collaborative acts, fostering experiential learning and environments that are curious, equitable, and inclusive.

Shaffer’s credits span concert dance, Broadway, and television, including Giordano Dance Chicago, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (NYC), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Broad City, and Wet Hot American Summer. Whether directing and choreographing large-scale productions such as Matilda the Musical or working with emerging artists in community centers, theaters, and festivals, Matthew crafts spaces where stories thrive on the belief that emotion transcends gender and that all people seek connection and validation.

He is currently a teaching artist with Segerstrom Center for the Arts, on tour with Fluid Dance Convention, and co-founder/Producing Artistic Director of The Collective Troupe in Los Angeles, CA. Follow his journey on social media: @funnyshaffer.