Hope Boykin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Durham, North Carolina, United States |
| Education | American Dance Festival |
| Occupation(s) | choreographer and dancer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Career | |
| Current group | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater |
| Website | www.hopeboykindance.com |
Hope Boykin is an American dancer and choreographer who is currently a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. [1]
Boykin was born in Durham, North Carolina, [2] where she started taking dance classes at the age of four. [3] She went on to study with the American Dance Festival [2] and, while a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., performed with Lloyd Whitmore’s New World Dance Company. [2]
After leaving Howard University, Boykin commenced study at The Ailey School; while still a student there, she was invited to be a founding member of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson's Complexions Contemporary Ballet. [4] From there, she went on to perform with Philadanco under Joan Myers Brown. [5] During this early period of her career, she also assisted choreographer Talley Beatty. [1]
In 2000, Boykin was invited to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. [1] Called "a small force of nature on the stage" [6] by The New York Times , in her career with Ailey she has performed an extensive repertoire in 71 countries across six continents. [7] She has also taken part in offstage Ailey initiatives, including hosting their Ailey All Access video series. [8] In 2020, she left the company. Her final performance with the company was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. [9]
Boykin also works as an educator, and joined the faculty of the University of Southern California (USC)'s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as the artist in residence for the 2019-2020 academic year. [10] In 2020, she will serve as the artistic lead for the Kennedy Center Dance Lab (KCDL), [11] a two-week dance and leadership program for high school students.
Boykin's work as a choreographer includes: