Donald McKayle

The Works of Donald McKayle

Career

• 1951 - 1969 Founded Donald McKayle and Company, which premiered his first major work known as "Games"
• 1956-1957 - toured Asia with the Martha Graham Dance Company; marveled at the idea of "movement languages"
• 1964 - began choreographing work on Broadway; his first piece for Broadway was for the play "Golden Boy" by Clifford Odets
• 1970 - began choreographing for films including Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1970), The Great White Hope (1972), and The Minstrel Man (1976)
• 1974 - choreographed pieces for the Tony Award winning play known as "Raisin" produced by Robert Nemiroff
• 1970-1974 - served as the head of the Inner City Repertory Dance Company

Works Cited

Movement Style

Background

Annvotaw. “As Madame Olga, Former ABT Dancer Michael Cusumano Becomes Two Teachers in One.” Dance Teacher, Dance Teacher, 17 Apr. 2018, www.dance-teacher.com/as-madame-olga-former-abt-dancer-michael-cusumano-becomes-two-teachers-in-one-2559707256.html.

Donald McKayle | The HistoryMakers, www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/donald-mckayle.

Dunning, Jennifer. “DANCE: ALVIN AILEY AT MET, DONALD MCKAYLE'S 'RAINBOW'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 July 1984, www.nytimes.com/1984/07/21/arts/dance-alvin-ailey-at-met-donald-mckayle-s-rainbow.html.

Gates, Anita. “Donald McKayle, 87, Broadway and Modern Dance Choreographer, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/obituaries/donald-mckayle-87-broadway-and-modern-dance-choreographer-dies.html.

Rachelcaldwell. “Celebrating Donald McKayle: His Choreography Shed Light On Social Injustice.” Dance Teacher, Dance Teacher, 15 June 2017, www.dance-teacher.com/celebrate-donald-mckayle-2441632628.html.

“Rainbow Round My Shoulder.” Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 27 Apr. 2016, www.alvinailey.org/performances/repertory/rainbow-round-my-shoulder.

Rosenberg, Donald. “Working with Dancing Wheels 'Eye-Opening' for Noted Choreographer Donald McKayle.” Cleveland.com, 25 Apr. 2010, www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2010/04/post_51.html.

TheMusicCenter. “Rainbow Round My Shoulder - Donald McKayle.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Apr. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCjW1ORie0g.

Later Works and Repositories

He was known for his use of the torso

• contracting, arching, and twisting in order to portray emotion

He was known for circular arm movements

Fan kicks

Unison movements

• These movements are used to portray a message of liberation and freedom while also catalyzing the emotion of the piece.

• He taught at Bennington College, the Juilliard School, the American Dance Festival, and in Europe.
• He served as dean of the School of Dance at the California Institute of the Arts, and as professor of dance and the artistic director for the University of California, Irvine Dance.
• The repositories for McKayle’s work include the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Cleveland San Jose Ballet, and the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Theater

• born on July 6, 1930 in New York City
• inspired by Pearl Primus, Katherine Dunham, and the social injustices of minority groups within America
• began dancing during his senior year of high school and won a scholarship to dance with the New Dance Group in 1947 at the age of 19 without any formal training

Rainbow Round My Shoulder

Meaning: Portrays the life of men within a prison chain gang; a woman appears to be their dreams within personification and represents a rainbow instead of the chains that they are trapped in; explores characters physical and emotional trials; influenced by ballet

Music: The songs express love, anger, and the need to be free