For a time, Bobby Banas was everywhere.
West Side Story. Mary Poppins. Bye Bye Birdie. One of the most prolific dancers on film — though you may not have known his name.
That changed when a 1964 TV clip of him performing “The Nitty Gritty” suddenly went viral decades later. The internet wanted to know: Who is this dancer!?
In this episode of The Rest of the Story (Hey, Dancer! podcast), we trace Bobby Banas’s journey from small-town beginnings to Broadway, from uncredited film roles to one unforgettable moment on The Judy Garland Show. We look at the discipline, luck, and sheer force of personality that helped him carve out a lasting place in dance history.
This is the story of a dancer who spent decades in the background… until the world finally caught up.
Check out my Return to Dance docuseries!
Support my Instagram — where I post daily dance inspo, insights and fun! @backtogreat
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
He set the internet ablaze in his 80s, decades after his dance career had ended.
(00:08):
And while that viral moment introduced him to a new generation, it was just the final
spark in a dance fire that had been burning since childhood.
In this episode we go back, before the meme, before the iconic film musicals, to reveal
how he carved out a place for himself in an industry that rarely made room for dancers.
(00:31):
Now make sure you stick around for the outro because I'll share some behind the scenes
stories about Marilyn Monroe, how he reacted to going viral and his thoughts on dance today.
And don't forget to subscribe to my podcast, Hey, dancer, for weekly stories on dance
legends.
I'm your host, Miller Dauray.
(00:52):
I'm your writer, your researcher, and I'm just so glad you're here for my weekly series,
The Rest of the Story.
If you're new, welcome!
There's more on my channel, I'd love for you to explore.
I also share a documentary style series about my return to dance journey after three decades
away from the art form, plus weekly podcast episodes that are in addition to this series where
(01:18):
I dive into my dance observations.
Everything from class culture to industry to dance science.
Alright, let's get into it.
He was born in New York in 1933, and like many kids of his era, his life changed dramatically
when World War II broke out.
His father took a job as a military chief inspector in the steel mills of Pennsylvania.
(01:42):
His mother inspected aircraft propellers for Curtis Wright.
With both parents working long hours, the children were sent to live with their grandmother
on a small farm in Windberg, Pennsylvania.
It was there in a town with more churches than traffic lights that his feet first found
the floorboards.
A local teacher named Agnes Shonce taught everything from ballet and jazz to tap, acrobatics,
(02:07):
and ballroom.
His father enrolled him and his sister imagining them as a miniature, Fred and Ginger.
They danced strouse waltzes at weddings, flipped and spun at town recitals, and wore proper
costumes, her in pink satin, him in a black tuxedo.
But what lit the match wasn't the choreography.
It was the rhythm.
(02:29):
At Saturday's socials in the Russian Orthodox Church hall, he watched dancers perform knee
spins and coffee grinders while a live band played "Balalaikas and accordions."
The music took hold.
He started bouncing, then joining in, unable to sit still.
It happened again, walking past a storefront gospel church.
(02:51):
He was so overtaken by the rhythm that his body moved before he even realized it.
Like dance was something that came through him, not from him.
After the war, the family moved west to Los Angeles.
Around age 12, his sister lost interest in dance, but he never stopped.
He trained at the Hollywood professional school and earned a scholarship to the Michael
(03:15):
Ponyef Ballet School, where he danced alongside Natalie Wood, Jill Saint John and Stephanie
Powers.
His stage career almost didn't happen.
He was planning to continue theatre and dance at UCLA after high school until fate stepped
in.
On a whim, he auditioned for Carousel at the LA Civic Light Opera and booked it.
(03:38):
He played Inox No Junior and that one decision rerouted his life.
One came Peter Pan.
That one took him all the way to Broadway.
They performed at the Winter Garden Theatre for six months with Mary Martin in the lead.
When the Broadway run ended, the cast filmed a live television version for NBC.
(04:01):
At the time, rebroadcast rights were tangled, so it only aired once.
But decades later, it finally resurfaced and is now considered a landmark in early televised
theatre.
For him, it was a dream come true.
He was hooked, but film was calling, and he answered.
By the late 1950s, he was dancing in some of the biggest movie musicals of the era.
(04:26):
The King and I, Damienkees, and Rock Around the Clock.
He poured everything into each role, but his name was rarely in the credits.
Like so many dancers of that time, and honestly still today, his work lived in the background,
and celebrated and uncredited by the studios, but unforgettable to anyone in the audience.
(04:49):
Then came a moment, no one on set forgot.
He was cast in Let's Make Love, not just to dance, but to kiss Marilyn Monroe on screen.
It was a big deal.
Everyone on set knew it.
He later said the other dancers were "green with envy" and that even for someone
(05:10):
used to performing the pressure of sharing the screen and a kiss with the most famous
woman in the world was surreal.
And then West Side Story.
He had crossed paths with Jerome Robbins before, briefly during his early theatre days, but
this was different.
The audition process for the film was grueling five rounds each more demanding than the
(05:35):
last.
He booked the role of Joy Boy, one of the jets.
And just like that, he was part of Robbins fiercely rehearsed ensemble.
Still, he didn't think much of it.
At the time, West Side Story felt like just another movie musical in a sea of them.
No one could have predicted how iconic it would become.
(05:56):
But when the film won the Oscar for Best Picture, everything changed.
Suddenly, his face was recognizable.
He couldn't walk into an audition without doors opening.
In the years that followed, he continued landing major roles, appearing in Babes in Toiland,
the unsinkable Molly Brown with Debbie Reynolds by By Birdie, made in Paris doing a duet with
(06:19):
Anne Margaret and Mary Poppins, where he joined the chimney sweeps, leaping across London
rooftops with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews.
That momentum carried him into a new phase.
He began teaching, choreographing and working steadily in television.
And shows like, Hullabaloo, Getsmart, and the Judy Garland show.
(06:40):
It was on that last one in 1964 that fate stepped in again.
Choreographer Peter Genaro had been scheduled to stage a number for Shirley Ellis' hit The
Nitty Gritty.
But when Genaro couldn't make it to the taping, our guy was asked to step in.
So on the spot, he both choreographed and danced the number.
(07:02):
What emerged was something raw, explosive, and entirely unforgettable.
From there, his creative path shifted.
He spent his later years teaching and mentoring, even working with stars like Cher, John
Travolta, and Bruce Lee.
He founded his own musical dance company and performed everywhere from shopping center openings
(07:22):
to martial arts tournaments.
And though his days as an on-screen dancer slowed, his choreography career was far from
over.
In the days he racked up credits on film and television.
Choreographing scenes for tough turf, down and out in Beverly Hills, always, and episodes
of Morgan Mindy and Webster.
(07:43):
It wasn't always glamorous, but he stayed in motion, always creating.
Later, he found new passion in unexpected places like cultivating roses, a hobby that
became one of his great joys.
And just when it seemed his dance career had faded quietly into history, the past came
roaring back.
(08:03):
At 80 years of age, that old clip of The Nitty Gritty, once aired and nearly forgotten,
resurfaced online.
And this time, the world noticed.
With his wild, unfiltered energy, the performance struck a nerve, comments poured in who is that
dancer?
(08:23):
How is this not legendary?
He became a meme, a viral star, a dancer suddenly everywhere.
In interviews, he admitted he didn't think much of it at first, quote, "Several years ago,
a friend said he had a copy that he found somewhere.
He gave me one, I looked at it and put it away.
I didn't think it was anything to get that excited about, and that was that."
(08:48):
But the internet disagreed.
The clip has now been viewed over 25 million times across platforms.
For a man who had spent decades moving in and out of the frame, the moment was more than
recognition.
It was the spotlight he never asked for, never even dreamed of, but always deserved.
(09:10):
He may not have been one of the most famous dancers of his era, but you'd be hard pressed
to find anyone who brought more energy, musicality, and sheer delight to the big and small screen.
His name, Bobby Vanis, and now you know the rest of the story.
Alright, Dan's fam, thank you so much for checking out another episode of the rest of
(09:36):
the story.
If you enjoyed it, if you're entertained and inspired, you'll learn something, make sure
you hit subscribe or follow so you'll never miss a weekly episode.
It goes a long way and it helps me out.
(09:56):
And honestly, I think it helps preserve Dan's history in some way.
Okay, now back to Bobby.
Speaking of Bobby, he was referenced as Bob, Robert, and Bobby, depending on the project.
It seems his credits on IMDB are mostly if not all, Bob Vanis.
I titled the video Bobby Vanis because when you YouTube him, Google him, that's the name
(10:21):
that pops up the most.
It may have changed or evolved over the years.
Now I gotta say before I get into some of his anecdotes from his career, watching him dance
is really special because clearly the music lives inside of him.
You know, he's got that thing from the soul that I'm not quite sure can be taught, you know?
(10:42):
It's unspeakable, it's undefined, it's rhythm, it's something in his spirit.
The music is on and something else takes over, which when you combine that with choreography,
right, and training and technique and that gift he has, it's just a magical thing, which
is why when he's doing dances like the Niddy Gritty, he's the one you watch.
(11:03):
The camera is gonna zoom in on him, you know?
So working with Marilyn Monroe was one thing, but being choreographed to kiss her, that
nearly did him in.
He once said, quote, "Oh, I thought my heart would explode."
End quote.
At the end of the number and let's make love, Monroe had to swing around a pole after grabbing
(11:23):
Bobby and his co-star by the hair.
But Bobby had a lot of pomade in his hair and she slipped.
She turned to the director and said, "I think someone has too much grease in his hair."
So they sent Bobby to make up to wash it out.
On the next take, he kissed her and slid across her powdered face.
(11:44):
So then Bobby turns to the director and whispers, "I think someone has too much grease on her
face."
Well, Monroe cracked up, the whole set laughed.
It was a moment he never forgot.
Now later in life, Bobby reflected on how the dance world had changed.
He said, quote, "To become a dancer today is totally different from when I started out.
(12:07):
Hip hop and acrobatic tumbling seem to dominate the dance scene now.
But I'd rather see Westside story, carousel, the unsinkable Molly Brown and Mary Poppins."
End quote.
Now he respected all forms of dance, but you could hear his longing for the style and storytelling
of classic, dance, classic musical theater, which really hit home for me because I talk about
(12:30):
this often, you know, in my return to dance journey on my social media, how the focus in
dance class and choreography in general in many ways in many places has really shifted.
The focus is on tricks and acro, unless about musicality and technique.
Of course, this is just a generality.
There's always the exception.
(12:52):
So anyway, hearing someone of his generation, of his brilliance, of his legend, his status,
echo, that sentiment, someone who lived through the golden age of dance on film, I don't
know, I think it validates a little bit, you know, the conversation.
Even as the spotlight faded, he never stopped moving.
He took up Rose breeding, as I had mentioned earlier.
(13:15):
But it was really serious business for him.
One of his clients happened to be Debbie Reynolds.
She did her roses.
Oh, and by the way, he didn't only work with her on the unsinkable Molly Brown, but also
in Say One for me and how the West was one.
As I always say, and this is kind of funny to me because people will leave comments and
(13:36):
say, "Oh my gosh, you forgot."
And I'm like, "No, this is not meant to be a two-hour documentary.
I'm just choosing highlights here of these dancers' lives that I think best tell the story
in the limited time that I have."
But obviously, if you go to IMDB, you are going to see a lot more credits.
And with Bobby Bannis, it's inspiring and sad because you see all of his dance credits
(14:00):
and each and every one of them for the most part, it'll say uncredited.
You know, so when you're watching the movie, his name won't be there.
And that's pretty terrible.
But you know, the choreographer's guild is a thing now and they're working hard to change
all of this.
And I think we could all take a lesson from Mr. Bannis.
(14:27):
Okay, see you next week.
[MUSIC]
He set the internet ablaze in his 80s, decades after his dance career had ended.
(00:08):
And while that viral moment introduced him to a new generation, it was just the final
spark in a dance fire that had been burning since childhood.
In this episode we go back, before the meme, before the iconic film musicals, to reveal
how he carved out a place for himself in an industry that rarely made room for dancers.
(00:31):
Now make sure you stick around for the outro because I'll share some behind the scenes
stories about Marilyn Monroe, how he reacted to going viral and his thoughts on dance today.
And don't forget to subscribe to my podcast, Hey, dancer, for weekly stories on dance
legends.
I'm your host, Miller Dauray.
(00:52):
I'm your writer, your researcher, and I'm just so glad you're here for my weekly series,
The Rest of the Story.
If you're new, welcome!
There's more on my channel, I'd love for you to explore.
I also share a documentary style series about my return to dance journey after three decades
away from the art form, plus weekly podcast episodes that are in addition to this series where
(01:18):
I dive into my dance observations.
Everything from class culture to industry to dance science.
Alright, let's get into it.
He was born in New York in 1933, and like many kids of his era, his life changed dramatically
when World War II broke out.
His father took a job as a military chief inspector in the steel mills of Pennsylvania.
(01:42):
His mother inspected aircraft propellers for Curtis Wright.
With both parents working long hours, the children were sent to live with their grandmother
on a small farm in Windberg, Pennsylvania.
It was there in a town with more churches than traffic lights that his feet first found
the floorboards.
A local teacher named Agnes Shonce taught everything from ballet and jazz to tap, acrobatics,
(02:07):
and ballroom.
His father enrolled him and his sister imagining them as a miniature, Fred and Ginger.
They danced strouse waltzes at weddings, flipped and spun at town recitals, and wore proper
costumes, her in pink satin, him in a black tuxedo.
But what lit the match wasn't the choreography.
It was the rhythm.
(02:29):
At Saturday's socials in the Russian Orthodox Church hall, he watched dancers perform knee
spins and coffee grinders while a live band played "Balalaikas and accordions."
The music took hold.
He started bouncing, then joining in, unable to sit still.
It happened again, walking past a storefront gospel church.
(02:51):
He was so overtaken by the rhythm that his body moved before he even realized it.
Like dance was something that came through him, not from him.
After the war, the family moved west to Los Angeles.
Around age 12, his sister lost interest in dance, but he never stopped.
He trained at the Hollywood professional school and earned a scholarship to the Michael
(03:15):
Ponyef Ballet School, where he danced alongside Natalie Wood, Jill Saint John and Stephanie
Powers.
His stage career almost didn't happen.
He was planning to continue theatre and dance at UCLA after high school until fate stepped
in.
On a whim, he auditioned for Carousel at the LA Civic Light Opera and booked it.
(03:38):
He played Inox No Junior and that one decision rerouted his life.
One came Peter Pan.
That one took him all the way to Broadway.
They performed at the Winter Garden Theatre for six months with Mary Martin in the lead.
When the Broadway run ended, the cast filmed a live television version for NBC.
(04:01):
At the time, rebroadcast rights were tangled, so it only aired once.
But decades later, it finally resurfaced and is now considered a landmark in early televised
theatre.
For him, it was a dream come true.
He was hooked, but film was calling, and he answered.
By the late 1950s, he was dancing in some of the biggest movie musicals of the era.
(04:26):
The King and I, Damienkees, and Rock Around the Clock.
He poured everything into each role, but his name was rarely in the credits.
Like so many dancers of that time, and honestly still today, his work lived in the background,
and celebrated and uncredited by the studios, but unforgettable to anyone in the audience.
(04:49):
Then came a moment, no one on set forgot.
He was cast in Let's Make Love, not just to dance, but to kiss Marilyn Monroe on screen.
It was a big deal.
Everyone on set knew it.
He later said the other dancers were "green with envy" and that even for someone
(05:10):
used to performing the pressure of sharing the screen and a kiss with the most famous
woman in the world was surreal.
And then West Side Story.
He had crossed paths with Jerome Robbins before, briefly during his early theatre days, but
this was different.
The audition process for the film was grueling five rounds each more demanding than the
(05:35):
last.
He booked the role of Joy Boy, one of the jets.
And just like that, he was part of Robbins fiercely rehearsed ensemble.
Still, he didn't think much of it.
At the time, West Side Story felt like just another movie musical in a sea of them.
No one could have predicted how iconic it would become.
(05:56):
But when the film won the Oscar for Best Picture, everything changed.
Suddenly, his face was recognizable.
He couldn't walk into an audition without doors opening.
In the years that followed, he continued landing major roles, appearing in Babes in Toiland,
the unsinkable Molly Brown with Debbie Reynolds by By Birdie, made in Paris doing a duet with
(06:19):
Anne Margaret and Mary Poppins, where he joined the chimney sweeps, leaping across London
rooftops with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews.
That momentum carried him into a new phase.
He began teaching, choreographing and working steadily in television.
And shows like, Hullabaloo, Getsmart, and the Judy Garland show.
(06:40):
It was on that last one in 1964 that fate stepped in again.
Choreographer Peter Genaro had been scheduled to stage a number for Shirley Ellis' hit The
Nitty Gritty.
But when Genaro couldn't make it to the taping, our guy was asked to step in.
So on the spot, he both choreographed and danced the number.
(07:02):
What emerged was something raw, explosive, and entirely unforgettable.
From there, his creative path shifted.
He spent his later years teaching and mentoring, even working with stars like Cher, John
Travolta, and Bruce Lee.
He founded his own musical dance company and performed everywhere from shopping center openings
(07:22):
to martial arts tournaments.
And though his days as an on-screen dancer slowed, his choreography career was far from
over.
In the days he racked up credits on film and television.
Choreographing scenes for tough turf, down and out in Beverly Hills, always, and episodes
of Morgan Mindy and Webster.
(07:43):
It wasn't always glamorous, but he stayed in motion, always creating.
Later, he found new passion in unexpected places like cultivating roses, a hobby that
became one of his great joys.
And just when it seemed his dance career had faded quietly into history, the past came
roaring back.
(08:03):
At 80 years of age, that old clip of The Nitty Gritty, once aired and nearly forgotten,
resurfaced online.
And this time, the world noticed.
With his wild, unfiltered energy, the performance struck a nerve, comments poured in who is that
dancer?
(08:23):
How is this not legendary?
He became a meme, a viral star, a dancer suddenly everywhere.
In interviews, he admitted he didn't think much of it at first, quote, "Several years ago,
a friend said he had a copy that he found somewhere.
He gave me one, I looked at it and put it away.
I didn't think it was anything to get that excited about, and that was that."
(08:48):
But the internet disagreed.
The clip has now been viewed over 25 million times across platforms.
For a man who had spent decades moving in and out of the frame, the moment was more than
recognition.
It was the spotlight he never asked for, never even dreamed of, but always deserved.
(09:10):
He may not have been one of the most famous dancers of his era, but you'd be hard pressed
to find anyone who brought more energy, musicality, and sheer delight to the big and small screen.
His name, Bobby Vanis, and now you know the rest of the story.
Alright, Dan's fam, thank you so much for checking out another episode of the rest of
(09:36):
the story.
If you enjoyed it, if you're entertained and inspired, you'll learn something, make sure
you hit subscribe or follow so you'll never miss a weekly episode.
It goes a long way and it helps me out.
(09:56):
And honestly, I think it helps preserve Dan's history in some way.
Okay, now back to Bobby.
Speaking of Bobby, he was referenced as Bob, Robert, and Bobby, depending on the project.
It seems his credits on IMDB are mostly if not all, Bob Vanis.
I titled the video Bobby Vanis because when you YouTube him, Google him, that's the name
(10:21):
that pops up the most.
It may have changed or evolved over the years.
Now I gotta say before I get into some of his anecdotes from his career, watching him dance
is really special because clearly the music lives inside of him.
You know, he's got that thing from the soul that I'm not quite sure can be taught, you know?
(10:42):
It's unspeakable, it's undefined, it's rhythm, it's something in his spirit.
The music is on and something else takes over, which when you combine that with choreography,
right, and training and technique and that gift he has, it's just a magical thing, which
is why when he's doing dances like the Niddy Gritty, he's the one you watch.
(11:03):
The camera is gonna zoom in on him, you know?
So working with Marilyn Monroe was one thing, but being choreographed to kiss her, that
nearly did him in.
He once said, quote, "Oh, I thought my heart would explode."
End quote.
At the end of the number and let's make love, Monroe had to swing around a pole after grabbing
(11:23):
Bobby and his co-star by the hair.
But Bobby had a lot of pomade in his hair and she slipped.
She turned to the director and said, "I think someone has too much grease in his hair."
So they sent Bobby to make up to wash it out.
On the next take, he kissed her and slid across her powdered face.
(11:44):
So then Bobby turns to the director and whispers, "I think someone has too much grease on her
face."
Well, Monroe cracked up, the whole set laughed.
It was a moment he never forgot.
Now later in life, Bobby reflected on how the dance world had changed.
He said, quote, "To become a dancer today is totally different from when I started out.
(12:07):
Hip hop and acrobatic tumbling seem to dominate the dance scene now.
But I'd rather see Westside story, carousel, the unsinkable Molly Brown and Mary Poppins."
End quote.
Now he respected all forms of dance, but you could hear his longing for the style and storytelling
of classic, dance, classic musical theater, which really hit home for me because I talk about
(12:30):
this often, you know, in my return to dance journey on my social media, how the focus in
dance class and choreography in general in many ways in many places has really shifted.
The focus is on tricks and acro, unless about musicality and technique.
Of course, this is just a generality.
There's always the exception.
(12:52):
So anyway, hearing someone of his generation, of his brilliance, of his legend, his status,
echo, that sentiment, someone who lived through the golden age of dance on film, I don't
know, I think it validates a little bit, you know, the conversation.
Even as the spotlight faded, he never stopped moving.
He took up Rose breeding, as I had mentioned earlier.
(13:15):
But it was really serious business for him.
One of his clients happened to be Debbie Reynolds.
She did her roses.
Oh, and by the way, he didn't only work with her on the unsinkable Molly Brown, but also
in Say One for me and how the West was one.
As I always say, and this is kind of funny to me because people will leave comments and
(13:36):
say, "Oh my gosh, you forgot."
And I'm like, "No, this is not meant to be a two-hour documentary.
I'm just choosing highlights here of these dancers' lives that I think best tell the story
in the limited time that I have."
But obviously, if you go to IMDB, you are going to see a lot more credits.
And with Bobby Bannis, it's inspiring and sad because you see all of his dance credits
(14:00):
and each and every one of them for the most part, it'll say uncredited.
You know, so when you're watching the movie, his name won't be there.
And that's pretty terrible.
But you know, the choreographer's guild is a thing now and they're working hard to change
all of this.
And I think we could all take a lesson from Mr. Bannis.
(14:27):
Okay, see you next week.
[MUSIC]
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