MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham Joins UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance Faculty
The renowned choreographer begins teaching at UCLA this fall
The School of the Arts and Architecture is pleased to announce the appointment of renowned dancer-choreographer and MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham to the faculty of the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance this fall.
Called “the best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama” [OUT Magazine], Abraham’s choreography draws on social politics and personal history to create original work. Born into hip-hop culture in the late 1970s and grounded in an artistic upbringing in classical cello, piano, and the visual arts, Abraham’s unique, evocative and interdisciplinary vision, entwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on sound, human behavior and all things visual in an effort to create an avenue for personal investigation that comes to life on stage. He cites the Joffrey Ballet’s “Billboards,” a ballet set to a soundtrack by Prince, as the inspiration to take his first formal dance class at the Civic Light Opera Academy in Pittsburgh, his hometown.
Abraham has toured and performed at the most influential and important venues and festivals in the world and has been recognized for his work with the most prestigious accolades in the field including: a 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award, a 2016 Princess Grace Foundation Special Project Award, the 2015 City Center Choreographer in Residence, a 2010 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance, and a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship. In 2012, Abraham was named New York Live Arts Resident Commissioned Artist, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient and USA Ford Fellow, all while the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater premiered his work, “Another Night,” at New York’s City Center to rave reviews.
“I could not be more thrilled to welcome Kyle to our school,” remarked David Roussève, Interim Dean and Professor of Choreography at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. “He is an exceptional educator who also creates provocative and challenging yet gloriously beautiful work. His impeccable formal capabilities and his deeply held commitment to community, social engagement and artistic experimentation is beyond compare and make him an exceptional match for our school and for the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. Kyle is at the absolute pinnacle in the field and promises to be a major force in the art world for decades to come. I look forward to the creativity and excellence he will bring to our campus.”
In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham.In.Motion, he has been commissioned by many other notable companies including the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Abraham recently finished touring “The Serpent and The Smoke,” a new pas de deux for himself and acclaimed Bessie Award-winning and former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Wendy Whelan as part of her project “Restless Creature,” and choreographed for the upcoming feature-length film, “The Book of Henry” with acclaimed director, Colin Trevorrow. Abraham is currently developing “Dearest Home” an immersive interactive work for A.I.M that is set to premiere at The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, May 2017 and “Untitled America,” a 3-part commissioned work for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that is set to premiere in December 2016. Abraham will make his debut at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) this fall with “Pavement,” a work inspired by the 1991 hip-hop drama “Boyz n the Hood” and his upbringing in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. In addition to touring Europe this fall, Abraham and his company will present “Pavement” at the Laguna Dance Festival in Laguna Beach, CA on September 22 and 23.
Abraham received his B.F.A. from SUNY Purchase and an M.F.A. from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and most recently, an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Washington Jefferson College in 2014.
Abraham is eager to join the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance because of its unique blend of theory and practice. “This program,” he says, “can bring a dancer who is trained solely in Cambodian dance together with someone who has spent the better part of their professional career studying release based dance movement. Students can learn from each other and create a more interesting collaboration because of their different backgrounds. You do not get that diversity in a conservatory.”
Another compelling element of the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance for Abraham is its focus on, as he puts it, “building thinkers, really intelligent thinkers” rather than focusing predominantly on technique. He says that whatever direction his students go on to pursue, whether in the field of dance or beyond, he looks forward to building mutual trust and helping to shape their futures: “My students could become scientists who are heavily influenced from their experience in dance, or they could become presidents of organizations, or the next wave of innovators in the arts. Knowing that as professors we have the capacity to change people and to inspire people is tremendously exciting and rewarding.”
“When Kyle taught a master class in our department in 2010, his physical world energized, enlivened and delighted the students,” said Lionel Popkin, Chair of the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. “It is thrilling to be welcoming him back now as one of the leading voices of his generation. His commitment to the student as a total artist, developing movers and thinkers who engage their world as responsible citizens with a purpose matches the goals of our program. He will bring a wealth of knowledge about the dance world and will deepen our commitment to social justice and the arts as an agent of change. We could not be more excited to have Kyle join our faculty.”
Header Photo: Kyle Abraham. Credit: New York Dance Project Ken Browar and Deborah Ory