Description
Donald McKayle is an African American modern dancer, choreographer, director, and writer who is most famous for his works
in the 1950s and 1960s focusing on the expression of the black experience in America. He has served on the faculties of numerous
international forums and many prestigious national institutions including the Juilliard School, Bennington College, Bard College,
Sarah Lawrence College, the American Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and was Dean of the School of Dance at
the California Institute of the Arts. McKayle currently performs multiple roles in the University of California, Irvine dance
department including Professor of Dance, Artistic Director of UCI Dance, and the Director of the UCI Etude Ensemble. This
collection comprises video recordings used to make the PBS documentary Donald McKayle: HeartBeats of a DanceMaker. Footage
includes interviews with McKayle and his family; McKayle teaching in various studios; and performances of his works at UC
Irvine, SUNY, Cleveland, Hawaii, and other venues.