Hines, who discovered the Brothers and subsequently became their mentor, said John and Leo are throwbacks to the great vaudeville tradition of performers who can “do it all” with style and charisma – tap, jazz, swing, ballet, calypso, singing and acting.
The world took notice and agreed. PBS’s “NewsHour” spotlighted John and Leo Manzari in an 8-minute story on Hines. Last summer’s special July 4th broadcast called “America, America” featured John and Leo with Grammy-winning vocalist BeBe Winans. Other notable TV appearances by the Brothers include guest spots on the Jerry Lewis Telethon, “The Mo'Nique Show” and the season finale of “So You Think You Can Dance.”
The Manzari Brothers continue to garner acclaim with live performances, playing Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook in Carmel, Indiana, and twice playing the Music Center at Strathmore Theater in Rockville, Maryland, where they were featured in Duke Ellington’s Songbook with Brian Stokes Mitchell, along with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, among others.
In their hometown of Washington, DC, the Brothers have performed at the Kennedy Center and at DC’s Jazz Festival at Lincoln Theater. Also in the Nation’s Capital, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has, every year, invited The Manzari Brothers to be her special guests for National Dance Day.
LEO MANZARI (dancer, choreographer) previously appeared in Arena Stage’s production of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies starring Maurice Hines at the Lincoln Theatre. He was seen in the 50th Anniversary of the 35th Pres-ident of the United States at the Kennedy Center, Ellington Songbook and Sacred Concert at the Strathmore Theater and Great American Songbook at The Palladium in Indiana. Leo appeared in the 2013 production of Apollo Club Harlem at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Leo received a Helen Hayes nomination- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Resident Musical 2010 for So-phisticated Ladies, and recently won the Shirley Chisholm trailblazer award. His TV credits include Mo’Nique Show, special guest on So You Think You Can Dance, BeBe Winan’s special America America, Jerry Lewis Telethon and PBS NewsHour. Leo’s musical endeavors consist of three online released Hip-Hop albums, and one alternative album currently in the works. He has performed with Michael Bowie and his band, Sine Qua Non, at the Atlas Theatre, the Artscape festival in Baltimore, and Blues Alley.
JOHN MANZARI (dancer, choreographer) has performed in renowned theaters across the nation. He was seen in the 50th Anniversary of the 35th president of the United States at the Kennedy Center, Ellington Songbook and Sacred Concert at the Strathmore Theater, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stage, and Apollo Club Harlem at the famous Apollo Theater. His television credits include the Mo’Nique Show, Jerry Lewis Telethon, BeBe Winans’ special America, America, and So You Think You Can Dance where he was invited by Nigel Lythgoe to appear as a special guest on the shows finale. He is currently touring with the show Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life. John has received a Helen Hayes award nomination for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Resident Musical” and was recently awarded the Shirley Chisolm Trailblazer Award. www.manzaribrothers.com
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