Cleo Parker Robinson (born July 17, 1948 in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado) is an American dancer and choreographer. She is most known for being the founder,

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

and executive creative director of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. She was inducted into the

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted. History There was a short-lived recogniti ...

in 1989, and named to the National Council on the Arts by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 1999. In 2005 she also received a

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Medal of Honor during the Center's "Masters of African American Choreographers" series.

Early life

Parker Robinson is the daughter of an African-American actor and a white musician. She faced extreme prejudice while growing up in 1950s Denver. At the age of 10 she nearly died in Dallas when a segregated hospital refused to admit her for a kidney condition quickly enough to prevent heart failure. Doctors expected her to be bedridden the rest of her life. She overcame the condition and threw herself into dancing in order to overcome the pain from the physical condition and emotional challenges of dealing with racism. By age 15 she was already teaching University level dance classes at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

. She graduated from Colorado Women's College, now a part of the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble

She is most noted for founding the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble in 1970. The ensemble is widely respected and recognized. It has toured internationally, performed at the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

and received coverage and positive reviews from the New York Times, Washington Post, and LA Times Representative

Mark Udall Mark Emery Udall ( ; born July 18, 1950) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, repres ...

gave tribute to the ensemble on the floor of the

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 2005 to honor its 35th anniversary. Notable performers with the ensemble have included Nejla Y. Yatkin, Cornelius Carter, Germaul Barnes and Leni Williams.

https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S67?/dWylliams,+Leni./dwylliams+leni/-3,-1,0,B/frameset&FF=dwylliams+leni&1,1

https://www.facebook.com/leni.wylliams] They have also worked with costume designer Mary Jane Marcasiano. One of her more notable artistic creations is "Lush Life," a jazz, poetry and dance collaboration she created together with Maya Angelou.

Awards

Cleo Parker Robinson's awards include: *1974, Colorado Governor's Award for Excellence *1979, Denver Mayor's Award *1989, Inducted into the

*1991, Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts,

*1994, Inducted into the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame *2002, Chancellor's Distinguished Professor,

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

*2003, Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...

*2005,

Medal of Honor *2007, Legend of Dance in Colorado,

*2008, Honorary Doctorate of Public Service, Regis University *2008, Civil Rights Award, Anti-Defamation League Western Chapter *2011, Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame *2017, Dance/USA Honor Award *2021, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Colorado at Boulder, "For Extraordinary Contributions to Dance and the Arts Overall"

References

External links

Official Website of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Cleo Parker 1948 births Living people American choreographers