Alonzo King, born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

to civil-rights activists Slater King and Valencia King Nelson, is an American

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

based in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. King grew up in Georgia and California, and, as an adult, decided his contribution would be teaching and choreography. In 1982, having established himself as a well-respected teacher, he founded Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Believing that everyone has the potential to grow through dance, seven years later he opened what was then known as the San Francisco Dance Center, offering classes for both professionals and the community. Alonzo holds Honorary Doctorate Degrees from

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

, and

Dominican University of California Dominican University of California is a private university in San Rafael, California, United States. It was founded in 1890 as Dominican College by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. It is one of the oldest universities in California. Dominic ...

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

In 1982, upon relocating back to California, King founded

Alonzo King LINES Ballet The Alonzo King LINES Ballet (AKLB) is an American contemporary ballet company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ballet company, founded by choreography, choreographer Alonzo King, premiered at San Francisco State University's McKenna Thea ...

, which premiered at the San Francisco State's McKenna Theater. Sharing his choreography around the world, LINES Ballet performs bi-annual home seasons at the

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary Contemporary art, contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that cel ...

in San Francisco, and also maintains an international touring schedule including a recent set of performances in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

of ''The Propelled Heart'' in September 2017.

Awards and recognition

King is the recipient of numerous awards including an NEA choreographic fellowship, San Francisco Mayor's Award, a Jacob's Pillow Creativity Award, and

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

Master of Choreography which was awarded in 2005. In 2020, he was one of five honorees of the Dance Magazine Awards. In addition to his work for LINES Ballet, King's choreography is also in the repertoire of other dance companies including The

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Gustav III of Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian ...

, Ballet Frankfurt, Ballet Béjart, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo,

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hong Kong Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, and

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance company based in Chicago. Hubbard Street performs in downtown Chicago at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Hub ...

Selected works

* 2013: Meyer * 2012: AZIMUTH, Constellation * 2011: Resin, Figures of Thought * 2010: Writing Ground, Wheel in the Middle of the Field * 2009: Scheherazade, Refraction, Dust and Light * 2008: The Radius of Convergence, The Steady Articulation of Perseverance * 2007: Rasa, Irregular Pearl, Long River, High Sky * 2006: Sky Clad, Migration * 2005: The Moroccan Project, Handel, Salt, Odd Fellow, Satoh * 2004: Before the Blues, Rite of Spring, Baker Fix, Coleman Hawkins, The Patience of Aridity, Waiting for Petrichor * 2003: Heart Song, Syzmanski's Vibraphone Quartet * 2002: Road, Splash, Koto * 2001: The People of the Forest, The Heart's Natural Inclination * 2000: Following the Subtle Current Upstream, Soothing the Enemy, Riley, Tango, In to Get Out * 1999: Shostakovich String Quartet * 1998: Hovering Slightly Above Ground, Who Dressed You Like a Foreigner?, Tarab, Long Straight Line, Map, Land Forms * 1997: String Trio, Suite Etta, Three Stops On the Way Home, Handel Trio * 1996: Klang, Sacred Text, Handel Pas de Deux, Ground * 1995: Signs and Wonders, Rock, String Quartet * 1994: Poulenc Pas de Deux, Ocean, Along the Path * 1993: Bach Cello Suite, Compelling Geological Evidence, Pavane * 1992: Gurdjieff Piano Music * 1991: Song of the Aka, Cante * 1990: Without Wax, Toccata in D Minor * 1989: Lila, Fallen Angel * 1988: Awake in the Dream, Ligeti Variations, Reoccurrence * 1987: Rain Dreaming, Granados Pas de Deux * 1986: Prayer, Stealing Light * 1983: Ictus

References

External links

LINES Ballet – The Propelled Heart
featuring Lisa Fischer
King's LINES Ballet – Scheherazade

King TED Talk – Stop defining yourself by what you see

Archival footage of Alonzo King LINES Ballet performing King's ''Migration '' in 2008 at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Alonzo Living people People from Georgia (U.S. state) American ballet choreographers 1952 births