Choreographer, director, and educator Donald McKayle (1930-2018) received numerous honors and awards, including an Outer Critics Circle Award, a NAACP Image Award, and many others. 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. He was named by the Dance Heritage Coalition as "one of America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: the first 100." This session will be led by professors of dance Robin Wilson and Bill DeYoung, both of whom had connections to McKayle's work in different stages of their careers. DeYoung will lead exercises and Wilson will teach repertory material from one of McKayle's dances.

https://vimeo.com/105438851

Each Modern Lab session features a different guest artist teaching a master class and sections from their repertory. This panorama of the contemporary dance field is presented to broaden the students’ awareness of potential career possibilities. Each guest artist conducts a 30-minute technique class/warm-up and then teaches repertory that is performed by the class. In the final 15 minutes, faculty coordinator Bill De Young conducts a Q & A with each artist, discussing their career; their recommendations for transitioning from student to professional, and what they look for when they audition dancers for their projects.

This event is supported in part by the EXCEL Lab.