Hope Boykin is an American dancer, choreographer and former member of the

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is the largest modern dance company in the United States.Dance Data Project (October 2024) 2024 Largest Contemporary and Modern Companies Report Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ...

Early life and education

Boykin was born in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, where she started taking dance classes at the age of four. She went on to study with the

American Dance Festival The American Dance Festival (ADF) under the direction of Executive Director Jodee Nimerichter hosts its main summer dance courses including Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and the Dance Professional Workshops. It also ho ...

and, while a student at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in Washington, D.C., performed with Lloyd Whitmore’s New World Dance Company.

Career

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. From there, she went on to perform with Philadanco under

Joan Myers Brown Joan Myers Brown (born 25 December 1931) is an American dance company director and former dancer. In 1970, she founded PHILADANCO, a modern dance company in Philadelphia. In 2012, she received a National Medal of Arts in recognition of her car ...

. During this early period of her career, she also assisted choreographer

Talley Beatty Talley Beatty (22 December 1918 – 29 April 1995) was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers, and also bears the titles da ...

. In 2000, Boykin was invited to join the

. Called "a small force of nature on the stage" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', in her career with Ailey she has performed an extensive repertoire in 71 countries across six continents. She has also taken part in offstage Ailey initiatives, including hosting their ''Ailey All Access'' video series. In 2020, she left the company. Her final performance with the company was cancelled due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Boykin also works as an educator, and joined the faculty of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC)'s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as the artist in residence for the 2019-2020 academic year. In 2020, she will serve as the artistic lead for the

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, ...

Dance Lab (KCDL), a two-week dance and leadership program for high school students.

Selected choreography

Boykin's work as a choreographer includes: * ''Acceptance In Surrender'' (2005) - commissioned by the Alvin Ailey American Dancer Theater and created in collaboration with Ailey Company members Abdur-Rahim Jackson and Matthew Rushing * ''in.ter.pret'' (2006) - commissioned by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre * ''Go in Grace'' (2008) - commissioned by the Alvin Ailey American Dancer Theater for the Company's 50th anniversary season, with music by gospel choir Sweet Honey in the Rock * ''r-Evolution Dream'' (2016) - commissioned by the Alvin Ailey American Dancer Theater, with score by Ali Jackson and historic and original text narrated by

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning actor

Leslie Odom Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him ...

* ''MomentsUponMoments'' (2018) - commissioned by

Damian Woetzel Damian Woetzel (born May 17, 1967) is an American choreographer. Woetzel was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he performed from 1985 until 2008. He also frequently performed with companies like the Kirov Ballet and Amer ...

for DEMO at the Kennedy Center and reinterpreted for the 2019 Vail Dance Festival * ''Tribute to

'' (2019) - commissioned by the 2019

Bessie Awards The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

as part of a tribute to Joan Myers Brown in recognition of her lifetime achievement award for work as a dance education pioneer * ''On. Toward. Press.'' (2020) - commissioned by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre * ''How Love Sounds'' (2025) - commissioned by the

for

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of M ...

's 70th anniversary

Honors

Bessie Award The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

(1998) - Outstanding Performer (with Philadanco/Dance Women Living Legends) *

Urban Bush Women Urban Bush Women (UBW), founded in 1984 by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, is a Brooklyn, New York-based non-profit dance company and professional African-American women's dance company. The ensemble performs choreography by Zollar and several other chore ...

Choreographic Center Fellow (2019-20)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boykin, Hope Year of birth missing (living people) Living people