KEVIN JOSEPH

A native of Brooklyn, NY with ancestry in Trinidad & Tobago, Kevin Joseph began dancing at the age of 10 on the streets of East New York, Brooklyn as part of Hip Hop’s first generation. As a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College, Kevin began his formal dance training with Dyane Harvey and trained at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Dance New Amsterdam (formerly called Dance Space, Inc.). As a dancer, Kevin’s performance credits include: The Essence Awards, VH1 Divas Live, PBS’s “Black Dance in The 20th Century,” St. Paul Community Baptist Church’s The Commemoration of the MAAFA, The Oedipus Plays performed at the Herode Atticus amphitheatre at the Acropolis in Greece with Avery Brooks and Earl Hyman, and a guest artist at the Campion School in Greece.

As a choreographer, his movement derives from Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop and African dance techniques. His unique blend of movement can be traced back to his adolescent days as a Brooklyn break dancer, which still greatly influences his contemporary dance vocabulary and style today. His choreographic credits include: The American Black Film Festival, The Best of Seven @ 651 Arts: Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Lincoln Center Outdoors, Celebrate Brooklyn the American, Heritage Dance Convention and Jacob’s Pillow. Kevin has worked with and pays homage to artists, choreographers and directors such as Kevin “Iega” Jeff of Jubilation Dance Company, Abdel Salaam of Forces of Nature Dance Theater Company, Michael Khan of the Shakespeare Theater Company, Obediah Wright, Marlies Yearby, George Faison, Otis Salid, Avery Brooks, Lauryn Hill and Anthony Hamilton.

As a co-founder of Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Kevin served as the managing director of the organization, a principal dancer, modern dance instructor for its Performing Arts Program, and later, the education director and helped develop Creative Outlet’s multifaceted Arts-in-Education program for New York City’s Department of Education. During Kevin’s tenure with Creative Outlet, he and the cofounders were presented with the Black Men of Distinction Award by Marty Markowitz.Kevin’s professional career has evolved into using dance as an empowerment tool for students and professionals. With this goal in mind, Kevin, along with childhood friend and fellow break dancer, Lakai Worrell co founded Purelements An Evolution in Dance. Both serving as co-executive artistic directors, Kevin and Lakai have developed an organization where dance is experienced and expressed in three ways: through a professional dance company, a performing arts school, and an educational outreach program.