German-Iranian, Eric is a first generation American from Charleston, SC.
Eric has been at the Glimmerglass Festival for 14 Seasons as the Head of Stage Movement and Choreography. He has created over 30 new productions for the festival. He is also a Guest Stage Director at the Metropolitan Opera and Revival Director for Norma and Magic Flute.
As a Choreographer World Premieres include: Klangwolke ‘24 for the Brucknerhaus, The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me by Jeanine Tesori; Artus! Excalibur by Frank Wildhorn; Odyssey, Wilde Tales for the GGF; Princess Butterfly for XSBN in China; and Songbird co-created with Jim Lowe and Kelley Rourke.
Kennedy Center credits include: Songbird, Samson and Delilah, Don Giovanni, Candide, West Side Story, The Little Prince, Florencia en el Amazonas, The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me, and La Forza del Destino.
Eric has also created new productions for: Opera Australia, Opera Bordeaux, Brucknerhaus, Chicago Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Los Angeles Opera, Metropolitan Art Museum, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Opera Philadelphia, Paris Fashion Week, Royal Opera of Versailles, Seattle Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Théâtre du Capitole, Theater St. Gallen, and Washington National Opera.
As an Associate Eric worked on Everyday Rapture on Broadway; My Fair Lady, Most Happy Fella! at Lincoln Center; Bells Are Ringing for City Center Encores; and the National Tours of Little House on the Prairie, We The People, and Happy Days The Musical.
As a Concert Dancer, Eric was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet for four years. He also was a member of Ben Munisteri Dance Projects for fourteen years performing at BAM, Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theatre, and Dance Theatre Workshop. Other NY Concert dance work includes: NY City Opera, NY Philharmonic, Mark Dendy, and Donald Byrd/The Group.
In Musical Theatre, Eric was on the National Tours of Evita! (Tango Dancer), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and three productions of West Side Story: European Tour, La Scala Opera, and an International Tour.
Eric continues to study in both classical and modern forms of dance and music, while working to create new visuals in story telling.