Bradley Shelver (Choreographer) received his training at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg and The Ailey School in New York. A prolific leader in the dance community, he currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Joffrey Concert Group and The Artistic Director of Contemporary Ballet Studies and the Pre- Professional Contemporary Summer Program and the Contemporary Ballet Winter Workshops at the Joffrey Ballet School. He is also the Director of Professional Career Development at Joffrey. From 2024-2026 he served as the Acting Artistic Director of the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Concentration. He currently sits on the Artistic Advisory Board of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. 

Now in his 17th season as a principal dancer with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Mr. Shelver has enjoyed an illustrious performing career. He has danced with Ailey II, Elisa Monte Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Hispánico, The Francesca Harper Project, and the Limón Dance Company. His international credits include Phoenix Dance Theater (UK) and projects with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co., Lar Lubovitch Dance, The Universal Ballet, Radio City Music Hall, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Between 2013 and 2016, he also served as the Artistic Director of the STEPS Repertory Ensemble and the Production Director for Steps on Broadway, following his six-year tenure as co-producer and curator for the REVERBdance Festival.

As a choreographer, Mr. Shelver has created works for an array of prestigious companies and institutions, including vildwerk, Contemporary West Dance Theater,  Richmond Ballet, Ailey II, Ballet Austin, Graham 2, the St Louis Dance Theater, Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet Schools, Boston Conservatory, The Ailey School, Cedar Lake 2 and The Cape Town Dance Company, His teaching expertise is recognized worldwide; he has served as a company teacher for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, and The Lion King on Broadway.

Mr. Shelver has served on the faculty of the ABT/JKO School, The Ailey School, and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University. He is a certified teacher of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and an international adjudicator for competitions such as the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, Hit The Floor Canada and Global Dance Open. A former contributing writer for Dance Spirit magazine, he is the author of the book Performance Through the Dance Technique of Lester Horton, which is available worldwide.