J Ryan Carroll began his formal training at the Alabama Dance Theater under the artistic direction of Kitty Seale and Haynes Owens.  While there he studied with Dame Sonia Arova, Judy Crump, Janie Allen-Alford, Emily Caruso, Valerie Lagrone, Leslie Jane Pessemier, Magda Aunon, Magaly Suarez, Orlando Molina, Alan Hineline, and Shawn Black.  He received further training at Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in dance with Cathy Hess-Wright, Gary Moore, and Meredith Huddleston, and in musical theater with Angela Dickson and Randy Foster.  He graduated from Booker T. Washington Magnet High School and received the prestigious Jeff Blair Award.  

Mr. Carroll continued dance and musical theater training on scholarship at Wright State University with Jon Rodriguez and Suzanne Walker.  During this time Laura Alonso invited him to study with her in Havana, Cuba, and ultimately apprentice with her company, Cuballet, where he had the privilege of performing principal and soloist roles at Gran Teatro de la Habana. When he returned to stateside,  Wes Chapman offered him a contract at the Alabama Ballet. While there he learned the Kinesthetic Approach to classical ballet in Ruth C. Petrinovic’s Teacher’s Training Course.  

In 2002,  Mr. Carroll answered David Howard’s invitation to study with him in New York.  Mr. Howard and his colleague, Peter Schabel, helped expand Mr. Carroll’s vocabulary in the Kinesthetic Approach.  He received additional training from Hilary Cartwright, who mentored him in Gyrotonics, a combination of thai chi, yoga, pilates, dance, and kinesiology, that balances the body’s strength and flexibility.  Diana Laurenson also had a big influence in Mr. Carroll's training.  He studied with her in the Fosse technique.   

Mr. Carroll resumed his professional life as a freelance artist working in both the ballet world and the musical theater world. After having already danced as an apprentice with Cuballet, and as a company member of the Alabama Ballet, he went on to dance soloist and principal roles with the American Repertory Ballet under the direction of Graham Lustig.  He was Principal Soloist with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico in San Juan under the direction of Carlos Cabrerra.  He has been a guest artist with Northwest Florida Ballet, Alabama Dance Theater, Western Ballet of Puerto Rico, and New England Dance Theater. 

Some of Mr. Carroll’s favorite roles include Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Franz in Coppelia, Cerventes in Don Quixote, Hilarion in Giselle, Cavalier in Nutcracker, Moor in Fokine's Petruschka, Prince Companion in Cinderella, Twyla Tharp's Baker's Dozen, Poet in Jose Pares' Poeme, Alberto Mendez's Pasion, Dracula in Dracula, and Siegfried in Swan Lake.  

Mr. Carroll worked with Ann Reinking as a featured dancer in the National Tour of Fosse and also in the International Tour of Fosse starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshal. Some highlights of the International Tour were performing at Place des Arts in Montreal and at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.  Fosse was the first American Musical to play at the Chatelet; it enjoyed rave reviews and its success paved the way for more American Musicals to play there. Mr. Carroll was part of the Scott and Zelda workshop written by Frank Wildhorn and choreographed by Ann Reinking at the Broadway Theater Project.  He was part of the Dodger Stages workshop of Doctor Dolittle, choreographed by Rob Ashford and directed by Glenn Casale.  He performed in the 2005 Fall Season at the Tony Award Winning Utah Shakespearean Festival in Pippin, directed and choreographed by Marc Robin, and All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by J.R. Sullivan.  

Mr. Carroll has danced back-up for pop sensation, Deborah Gibson, in her 

one- woman show Pop Goes Broadway, choreographed by Eddie Bennett.  In 2008-2009, Mr. Carroll was the Dance Captain and Swing for the North American Tour of the Wizard of Oz, directed by Nigel West and choreographed by Leigh Constantine. During the tour, Mr. Carroll had the privilege of performing at Madison Square Garden and at the National Arts Center in Ottawa for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.  

Mr. Carroll has been ballet master for Tracie Stanfield’s Synthesis Dance Project in New York City. He was a company teacher for both the National and International tours of Fosse.  He has taught Kinesthetic Approach to Ballet and the Fosse technique throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, and Mexico.  He has been on faculty at summer programs for Western Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico, Alabama Dance Theater, Northwest Florida Ballet, Southeastern Alabama Dance Theater, Mobile Ballet, and the International Dance Festival in New York City.  In 2007, J Ryan was invited to adjudicate for the South African Dance Championships in Durban, South Africa.  While there, he also had the privilege of teaching for the Capetown City Ballet II.  

Mr. Carroll recently was a dance consultant for the 2nd national tour of Wizard of Oz.  He is currently working on a new project called Borsalino, directed and choreographed by Matt Williams.  Borsalino is a dance play and is in pre Broadway workshop production.  

Mr. Carroll continues to train in dance, with Graciela Kozak and vocally, with Elizabeth Nantais.