Company

Kyle Abraham Dance Vanguard creates provocative dance experiences through a collaborative creative process that centers overlooked perspectives. “For boundary-breaking, genre-defying choreographer Abraham and his troupe of dancers, challenging the status quo and presenting a new way of doing things is always on the agenda” (Vogue).

The company’s work is rooted in Founder and Artistic Director Kyle Abraham’s singular choreographic voice and described by Abraham as a “post-modern gumbo,” an entwining of sensual, socially engaged dance with movement, music, text, and visual art spanning genres and histories, all while remaining unmistakably its own.

Founded in 2006 and based in New York City, Kyle Abraham Dance Vanguard has earned recognition for its “lush movement, infectious music and magnetic dancers..." (The New York Times), becoming one of the most acclaimed touring ensembles in the world. Kyle Abraham Dance Vanguard has performed in more than 75 cities across 12 countries and has broken into high fashion and popular culture, including features in publications like Vogue, Essence, and Vanity Fair, as well as appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

As The New York Times noted, “Kyle Abraham has a mission — and it’s bigger than himself.” Committed to building sustainable support structures for artists, Kyle Abraham Dance Vanguard provides dancers with 52-week salaries and retirement benefits, alongside royalty payments in perpetuity for their role in the creation of new work. The company also opens no-cost entry points for new voices through annual dance intensives and sustains creative careers through accessible educational and mentorship opportunities. Workshops, classes, and public engagement deepen connections between audiences and the creative process.

Kyle Abraham Dance Vanguard is expanding what a contemporary dance company can be and who gets to imagine themselves within it. In doing so, the company challenges the entire arts ecosystem to create space where more people can thrive.