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Home | John Ford's Bio

John Ford's Bio

John Ford of the world's most famous pro/am dance team and the world famous "Hanlon-Ford" production company was born in Augusta, Georgia. Educated in Alabama and New York, moved quickly into the world of dance, studied ballet at Joffrey, tap dancing with Jerry Ames, and Jazz with Phil Black.


John Ford Ballroom Hall of Fame member

Annual Hanlon Ford Ball at Harvard University.

John also managed and taught at 8 schools in N.Y.C. and along the Gold Coast of Florida. His early professional credits include: Dancing in the " King and I" and "Mame" in N.Y.C., and choreographing and performing in many productions for the "Kinley Players", of Warren, Ohio.. 10 years of coaching and choreographing for the American International Company at Sarasota Florida's Opera House. Appeared on the "Joe Franklin" and "Mike Douglas" television shows as well as co-hosting on the "Jerry Lewis Telethon".


John Ford's coaching, promotion, and direction has led many of his students to U.S. and World Championship Titles. The World Famous Hanlon-Ford production co., also known as "Hanlon-Ford Enterprise Inc." and "Hanlon-Ford Dance Tours Inc.", with John as director and choreographer, has been producing "Traditional" and "Modern" dance shows around the world since the early 1980's. Hanlon-Ford projects include: The PBS Television Specials ... "A Night to Remember", "A Zeigfeld Extravaganza", "Journey to Mt. Olympus", and "Ballroom in Concert" live at the Imperial Palace in Vienna, which beat "River Dance", "Gypsy Kings", "Burn the Floor", and "The Yanni Concert" in New York ratings. "Ballroom in Concert" due to demand, later evolved into "Ballroom Fever", a live stage production with over 50 dancers including many World Champions which performed on stage at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and the New York City Center Theatre. "Romeo and Juliette" a dance drama performed in Verona, Italy. "Phantom of the Opera", "Desert Song", and "Fairy Tale" all produced in China, with a television audience of 1,200,000,000 viewers! Six annual productions for the "Grand Finale of the Italian Dance Festival", in Cervia, Italy. The Pride and Joy of Hanlon-Ford....the annual production of...."The Hanlon-Ford International Invitational Professional Team Match" held in the beautiful Grand Ballroom of the Fountainbleau in Miami Beach, Florida.


John Ford, along with his late partner Marguerite Hanlon, traveled the world producing shows and promoting ballroom dancing for decades and are recognized and honored by being the 1st inductees, along with Fred Astaire, into the "Dancers Hall of Fame", and the "Greek Cultural Society" for promoting Ballroom Dancing's inclusion into the Olympic Games, recipients of the "Bill & Bobbie Irvine Award", honored in Italy, China, Japan, and many other countries and organizations, as well as receiving the "Presidential Sports Award" they were also listed in the Pro-Dance Worldwide Listing of "Who's Who of Professional Dancers".


JOHN FORD is the WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS PRO/AM DANCER!

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"When you get the choice to sit it out or Dance, I hope you Dance"

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