Dancer Bobby Banas Passes Away at 90
Banas danced in numerous onscreen musicals, including as one of the Jets in West Side Story.
By: Josh Sharpe Jul. 30, 2024
BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that dancer, actor, and choreographer Bobby Banas has passed away.
Banas was a featured dancer in numerous classic movie musicals. In the film adaptation of West Side Story, he played Joyboy, a member of the Jets. He also appeared as a chimney sweep in Disney's Mary Poppins and was kissed by Marilyn Monroe in Let's Make Love.
Other onscreen credits include Carousel, The King and I, Damn Yankees, Babes in Toyland, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
On Broadway, he appeared in the 1954 production of Peter Pan, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins.
Later in his career, Banas worked as a dance teacher in the Los Angeles area, and, in 2012, a 1964 clip of Banas dancing to The Nitty Gritty on The Judy Garland Show went viral on YouTube.
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