KEITH LEE
Artist Laureate, Choreographer, and Master Teacher
Keith Lee was born in The Bronx, New York. He started his dance training with tap and theatre singing at the age of three under the guidance of Joanie Edwards at the Little Theatre, and made his acting debut five years later with George C. Scott in the television series, East Side, West Side.
With encouragement from Ben Vereen, Mr. Lee pursued his dance studies at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York where he studied modern dance under the guidance of Gertrude Shurr, May O’Donnell, David Wood, and Norman Walker, and ballet under the guidance of Belle Malinka, Betty Lores, Harry Asmus, and Barbara Cole. Upon graduation, he received two Capezio Awards for excellence in both ballet and modern dance technique. He continued his dance studies at the New Dance Group under the guidance of Dorene Richardson, Celene Keller, Muriel Manning, Stanley Burke, and Beatrice Seckler.
Mr. Lee pursued his studies at the Harkness School of Ballet and the School of American Ballet under full scholarship. Mr. Lee was a member of the Harkness youth Company that performed for President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson at the White House in 1968. He began his professional career with the Norman Walker Dance Company and the Harkness Youth Ballet.
Mr. Lee joined American Ballet Theatre in 1969 and was promoted to the rank of soloist the following year. His repertoire included The Blackmoor in Petrouchka, Othello in Jose Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane, Alias in Eugene Loring’s Billy The Kid, the Matchmaker in Jerome Robbins’ Les Noces, Von Rothbart in David Blair’s Swan Lake, and principal and soloist roles in Alvin Ailey’s The River, Lar Lubovitch’s Scherzo For Massa Jack, Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Harald Lander’s Etudes, and William Dollar’s The Combat.
Artist Laureate, Choreographer, and Master Teacher
Keith Lee was born in The Bronx, New York. He started his dance training with tap and theatre singing at the age of three under the guidance of Joanie Edwards at the Little Theatre, and made his acting debut five years later with George C. Scott in the television series, East Side, West Side.
With encouragement from Ben Vereen, Mr. Lee pursued his dance studies at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York where he studied modern dance under the guidance of Gertrude Shurr, May O’Donnell, David Wood, and Norman Walker, and ballet under the guidance of Belle Malinka, Betty Lores, Harry Asmus, and Barbara Cole. Upon graduation, he received two Capezio Awards for excellence in both ballet and modern dance technique. He continued his dance studies at the New Dance Group under the guidance of Dorene Richardson, Celene Keller, Muriel Manning, Stanley Burke, and Beatrice Seckler.
Mr. Lee pursued his studies at the Harkness School of Ballet and the School of American Ballet under full scholarship. Mr. Lee was a member of the Harkness youth Company that performed for President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson at the White House in 1968. He began his professional career with the Norman Walker Dance Company and the Harkness Youth Ballet.
Mr. Lee joined American Ballet Theatre in 1969 and was promoted to the rank of soloist the following year. His repertoire included The Blackmoor in Petrouchka, Othello in Jose Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane, Alias in Eugene Loring’s Billy The Kid, the Matchmaker in Jerome Robbins’ Les Noces, Von Rothbart in David Blair’s Swan Lake, and principal and soloist roles in Alvin Ailey’s The River, Lar Lubovitch’s Scherzo For Massa Jack, Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Harald Lander’s Etudes, and William Dollar’s The Combat.
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In 1970 as a member of American Ballet Theatre he appeared in the Kennedy Center Opera House’s grand opening. Mr. Lee was also part of the original cast of Jelly’s Last Jam, the Broadway musical which featured Gregory Hines.
In 1968, Kathy Greene sponsored his first choreographic concert at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts and has since created ballets for American Ballet Theatre, the Washington Ballet, the Geneva Ballet, the Oakland Ballet, the Garden State Ballet, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, the Capitol Ballet of Washington, D.C., Ballet Memphis, Lexington Ballet, and for his own company, Ballet of Contemporary Arts. He has also choreographed for television, films, and videos. Mr. Lee has also been a balletmaster for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and the Capitol Ballet. Mr. Lee has also been on the faculty of the Dance Department of Shenandoah University and from 1994-96 he was artistic director of Syncopated Inc. Dance Company in Lexington, Kentucky. As artistic director Syncopated Inc. Dance Company Mr. Lee staged many of his dances including The Ellington Project which won Best Dance Theatre Award in 1996. Mr. Lee has also started an outreach program, NeWorldDance, in Kentucky, and he continues his outreach work in Virginia. From 1996-98 Mr. Lee was on the faculty of the Virginia School of the Arts. From 1998-99 Mr. Lee was named co-artistic director of Neworldance in Toronto, Canada. In 1999 Mr. Lee established his own ballet school in Lynchburg, Virginia. Mr. Lee is also the Director of Inclusion for the Charlottesville Ballet in Virginia and has choreographed and The Eight Journeys for the company. Mr. Lee marks his 50th Anniversary Celebration of Dance and Theatre, and in 2017 he was cited by the Virginia Commission For The Arts (Outstanding Artist Award for Dance). In 2019 Mr. Lee received the First Artist Laureate Award. In 2000 Mr. Lee was a guest choreographer at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach Florida where he created a new work and also restaged excerpts from his ballet, Image d’un Reve. He is also pursuing a successful career as a freelance choreographer, master teacher, performing arts coordinator, and also as an artist laureate and movement impressionist. |
Me And My Grandmother Alma Sharrock Lee
My father, Laurence F. Lee, and I in
Highland Park in Bed- Stuy New York 1964 |
A Lecture Demonstration With Barbra Cole
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As Alias In Eugene Loring's “Billy, The Kid”
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Antony Tudors Pillars of Fire with Nora Kaye
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Petrouchka with
American Ballet Theatre |
As Alias In Eugene LORING’s “Billy The Kid”
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Twin Cities from
Alvin Ailey's The River |
The River by Alvin Ailey
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Keith Lee In The Section “Spring”
From Alvin Ailey's “The River” |
The River by Alvin Ailey
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Mr. Tudor And Me On Stage In Los Angeles During The Filming Of Pillar Of Fire
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Keith Lee in Baroque Concerto #3
By Norman Walker
By Norman Walker
