Alonzo King, born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to civil-rights activists Slater King and Valencia King Nelson, is an American dancer and choreographer based in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. 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 performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

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

, and

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

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 choreographer Alonzo King, premiered at San Francisco State University's McKenna Theatre in 1982. ...

, which premiered at the

San Francisco State San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

'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 arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, natio ...

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

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

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 Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

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, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this fi ...

, Ballet Frankfurt, Ballet Béjart,

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (The Monte Carlo Ballet) is a classical ballet company established in 1985 by the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Princess Grace of Monaco. It is the official national company of the ...

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric O ...

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate a ...

Hong Kong Ballet The Hong Kong Ballet () is a classical ballet company founded in 1979. History The company was created in 1979. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has concluded more than 30 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. I ...

, 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. Hubb ...

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: Shostokovich 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, Toccatta 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
.html" ;"title="Lisa Fischer">LINES Ballet - The Propelled Heart featuring Lisa Fischer
">Lisa Fischer">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 American choreographers Living people People from Georgia (U.S. state) Ballet choreographers 1952 births