He served as head of the Inner City Repertory Dance Company from 1970 to 1974, and then as choreographer for the Limon Dance Company since 1995. In 1948, McKayle choreographed his first piece of work with the New Dance Group, and premiered his solo piece, Saturday's Child. Donald McKayle and Company, New York, NY Geraldine Armstrong Ballet Jazz. Golden Boy (1964) was his first Broadway production, followed by I'm Solomon (1969) and Dr. Jazz (1975). He has been a choreographer of the Limon Dance Company since 1995. Known best for his socially-themed modern dance works of the 1950s and ’60s, this Emmy and Tony Award-nominated dancer and choreographer headed the Inner City Repertory Dance Company during the 1970s and founded the Donald McKayle and Dancers company in 1951. McKayle then went on to choreograph masterworks Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder, District Storyville and Songs of the Disinherited. He was responsible for the entire concept, staging and choreography of Sophisticated Ladies (1981), which has won numerous awards. In 1963 McKayle was awarded the Capezio Dance Award, and in 1992 received the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement. He has taught at Bennington College, the Juilliard School, the American Dance Festival, and in Europe. In all, McKayle choreographed over ninety performances for dance companies in the U.S., Canada, Israel, Europe and South America. In 2005, McKayle was honored at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and presented with a medal as a Master of African American Choreography. See how Donald McKayle is related to other HistoryMakers, Donald McKayle describes his mother's family background, Donald McKayle talks about his mother's upbringing, Donald McKayle describes his father's family background, Donald McKayle talks about his father's immigration to the United States, Donald McKayle describes his parent's personalities and who he takes after, Donald McKayle describes his earliest childhood memory, Donald McKayle remembers the Harlem community in New York City, Donald McKayle describes the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood, Donald McKayle talks about his early experiences of religion, Donald McKayle remembers the Great Depression, Donald McKayle describes his early involvement in the arts, Donald McKayle talks about his Jamaican heritage, Donald McKayle remembers the Harlem River Houses in New York City, Donald McKayle talks about his early influences, Donald McKayle remembers his election as class president at DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City, Donald McKayle talks about his Jewish heritage, Donald McKayle talks about his early cultural influences, Donald McKayle talks about his piece, 'Her Name Was Harriet', Donald McKayle talks about the popular culture of the 1940s, Donald McKayle remembers joining the New Dance Group, Donald McKayle remembers the African American dancers of the 1940s, Donald McKayle talks about his dance training, Donald McKayle remembers his first pieces of original choreography, Donald McKayle talks about forming Donald McKayle and Company, Donald McKayle talks about Donald McKayle and Company, Donald McKayle talks about the black arts community in New York City, Donald McKayle remembers the early productions by Donald McKayle and Company, Donald McKayle remembers 'House of Flowers,' pt. Guide to the Donald McKayle: HeartBeats of a DanceMaker video recordings. Read More Alongside dancers like Georgia Collins, Charles Moore, Delores Brown, Talley Beatty, and John Jones, Neal performed in a 1958 Alvin Ailey & Ernest Parham recital at the 92nd Street Y. Share McKayle was the director and choreographer of Raisin (1974) and was awarded a Tony for the best musical. [21], The 2016 Bessie for Outstanding Revival (The New York Dance and Performance Awards) was presented to Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder by Donald McKayle, performed by Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and produced by Paul Taylor American Modern Dance at the David H. Koch Theater for giving a classic modern dance powerful new life, transforming the midcentury portrayal of an African-American prison chain gang into a searingly resonant cry for our current times, performed with humanity, craft, and beauty. Donald McKayle Dance Company performing "Legendary Landscape" in 1962. In her first year at UC Irvine, she worked with Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of the Limon Dance Company, which is when she fell in love with modern dance. As artistic director of Bernard Brown/bbmoves, a social justice dance theater company, Brown’s choreography has been presented with acclaim in Los … But this concept was almost entirely removed during the show's out-of-town tryouts in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. About This Orbit: Arthur Mitchell Explore the Arthur Mitchell Orbit. She continues her training at Visceral Dance Center and South Chicago Dance Theatre. According to McKayle's autobiography, he was inducted into the Committee for the Negro in the Arts due to the repeated performance and high visibility of this piece. EXPLORE JOHN PERPENER’S MULTI-MEDIA ESSAY ON DONALD McKAYLE. McKayle was also influenced by his parents' liberal and activist lifestyles. 1963 1, Donald McKayle remembers Loraine Hansberry, Donald McKayle describes his role in original Broadway production of 'West Side Story', Donald McKayle talks about 'Rainbow Round My Shoulder', Donald McKayle remembers the international tour of 'Rainbow Round My Shoulder', Donald McKayle remembers the television premiere of 'They Called Her Moses', Donald McKayle remembers creating 'District Storyville', Donald McKayle remembers choreographing and performing in 'On the Sound', Donald McKayle talks about his television choreography, Donald McKayle remembers working on the Broadway production of 'Golden Boy', Donald McKayle remembers the cast of 'Golden Boy', Donald McKayle talks about his choreography for 'The Ed Sullivan Show', Donald McKayle talks about the choreography for 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks', Donald McKayle remembers leading the Inner City Arts Repertory Dance Company, Donald McKayle remembers choreographing 'Songs of the Disinherited', Donald McKayle remembers choreographing the film 'The Great White Hope', Donald McKayle Donald McKayle remembers his directorial debut in 'Raisin', Donald McKayle remembers his television special, 'Free to Be... You and Me', Donald McKayle talks about his retirement from dancing, Donald McKayle remembers choreographing the film 'Minstrel Man', Donald McKayle remembers the Broadway production of 'Sophisticated Ladies', Donald McKayle talks about the success of 'Sophisticated Ladies', Donald McKayle talks about his teaching career, Donald McKayle remembers his celebrity collaborators, Donald McKayle remembers his production of 'Tantalus', Donald McKayle describes his autobiography, 'Transcending Boundaries: My Dancing Life', Donald McKayle talks about his awards and honors, Donald McKayle talks about his favorite choreographed piece, Donald McKayle reflects upon his legacy and plans for the future, Donald McKayle talks about contemporary dance techniques, Donald McKayle describes how he would like to be remembered. He was born on July 6, 1930 in New York. This beautiful solo, for a women, depicts one of the most significant folk songs of Mexico and celebrates the children of Mexico and their ethnic diversity. Inspired by a Pearl Primus performance, he began dancing his senior year in high school, and won a scholarship to the New Dance Group in 1947. Inspired by childhood memories, Games explores themes of poverty and discrimination in shaping the lives and attitudes of the youth. This piece depicted the reality of poverty and the suffering of the homeless. In 2001, he choreographed the monumental ten-hour production of Tantalus. [7] His father worked as a maintenance man at the Copacabana nightclub before becoming a mechanic while his mother worked as a medical assistant. [6] He was the second child of a middle class, immigrant family of Jamaican descent. Choreographer and educator Donald McKayle was born on July 6, 1930 in New York City, New York to Eva Wilhelmina Cohen McKayle and Philip Augustus McKayle. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Donald McKayle Company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Guest [Photo unavailable] Charles Neal was one of the six original members of New York Negro Ballet and studied under Maria Nevelska. Creating choreography for celebrities led to his appearances in popular television shows such as The Bill Cosby Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. The repositories for McKayle’s work include the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Cleveland San Jose Ballet, and the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Theatre. Donald McKayle biography - International Encyclopedia of Dance. All rights reserved. But it was an inspiring performance by Pearl Primus that sparked McKayle's interest in dance as a teenager. He was exposed to social dance and the exuberant social atmosphere of the West Indian parties his parents attended. [20] In 2004 he received the Heritage Award from the National dance association for his contributions to dance education. Brown earned his MFA from UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance and BFA from SUNY Purchase. Later, Nash became a member of Donald McKayle’s company, another African American choreographer of New York. By Naomi Johnson The Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Company partnered with three world-class organizations to celebrate internationally acclaimed choreographer Donald McKayle by presenting three of his greatest works last week at Lincoln Center in New York City. [13] Other instructors include Mary Anthony, Pearl Primus, Jean-Leon Destine, Hadassah, and Paul Draper. Donald McKayle (July 6, 1930 – April 6, 2018[2]) was an American modern dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and writer best known for creating socially conscious concert works during the 1950s and '60s that focus on expressing the human condition and, more specifically, the black experience in America. , is a Company premiere a member of Donald McKayle in 1963, courtesy the! 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