Donald McKayle

Dancer

Birthday July 6, 1930

Birth Sign Cancer

Birthplace New York

DEATH DATE Apr 6, 2018 (87)

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About

Known best for his socially-themed modern dance works of the 1950s and '60s, this Emmy and Tony Award-nominated dancer and choreographer headed the Inner City Repertory Dance Company during the 1970s and founded the Donald McKayle and Dancers company in 1951.

Before Fame

During his teenage years, he earned a scholarship to train at New York's New Dance Group. His first choreographic work, a homelessness-themed piece titled Saturday's Child, premiered in 1948, when he was eighteen years old.

Trivia

He received Tony Award nominations for his choreography work on the 1970s and early 1980s Broadway productions of Golden Boy, Raisin, Doctor Jazz, and Sophisticated Ladies.

Family Life

He grew up in East Harlem, New York, as the son of Jamaican immigrants.

Associated With

He trained with renowned modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham.