People
Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre is nothing without the incredible people that have had impact throughout the years.
Carmen De Lavallade
Carmen De Lavallade is an integral part of KDT history. She became a mentor to Sean McLeod in the early 2000’s. The Carmen De Lavallade Awards were created in 2004 as an international acknowledgment, to honor her immeasurable contribution to dance and to the personal development of dancers and people of color. Carmen was a special guest at the New York Dance Festival in 2007. In 2009, Carmen graciously allowed Sean to set choreography on her. Carmen and her son Leo Holder have given immeasurable input and feedback throughout Kaleidoscope’s history.
Thomas Warfield
Thomas Warfield is an internationally acclaimed personality in so many genres of the arts including dance. As a singer, dancer, actor, model, composer, pianist, choreographer, director, producer, educator, activist, and poet, Warfield has performed on stage, television, and film in more than 100 cities worldwide.
Warfield holds a bachelor’s degree in dance and journalism from SUNY Purchase, and a master’s in dance ethnology from the University of Utah. His professional dance career has included performing with the Joffrey Ballet, Jane Dudley in London and New York, and ballet companies in Hong Kong, Stockholm, Paris, San Francisco, Macau, and elsewhere. His numerous and diverse professional performances include at the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard, a circus in Japan, three U.S. prisons, HBO Shorts, Marie Claire Magazine in Hong Kong, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II in London, and an East Coast tour of his original project AstroDance, which combines dance and astrophysics, funded by the National Science Foundation. He is the founder and artistic director of the 33-year-old PeaceArt International, Inc., a global project using arts to foster world peace.
Thomas appeared as a special guest of KDT in the early 90’s becoming a permanent fixture after having had a leading influence in the company’s development. In 1993, Thomas was came back to the Finger Lakes Region of New York and as Associate Producer of the New York Dance Festival and foundational faculty member. He help design yearly goals, taught the classic styles of modern dance, ballet, and dance composition-of which he was singularly a treasure. Thomas went on to become the Chair of Dance at Rochester Institute of Dance/ National Technical Institute for the Deaf, bringing in McLeod Technique, Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre, and members of the New York Institute of Dance & Education as special guests and faculty to set McLeod Technique repertory; and perform regularly over his 28 year tenure.
Gregory Livingston
Gregory Livingston was a foundational member of the Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre from its very inception at SUNY Purchase. Gregory has an M.A. in Contemporary Dance Education from the Frankfurt University of Music & Performing Arts (HfMDK) and a B.F.A. from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. He has a 4-year classical vocal music education, and also holds a Shiatsu Practitioner Diploma from the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, CA.
He has performed for Punchdrunk International – “Sleep No More” Shanghai and has been a guest artist with the José Limón Dance Company. He also danced for Rui Horta, Claire Russ, Jean Renshaw, Roberto Galvan, Joseph Tmim and started his career in Hong Kong with the City Contemporary Dance Company.
In 2023, Gregory trained the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company under the direction of Ioannis Mandafounis and in the past, has been a part of The Forsythe Company Education Program and the Altana Kulturstiftung direction team in Frankfurt. He’s held guest professor positions in Berlin, Taiwan, and Korea and teaches for professional arts universities and institutions nationally and internationally. Gregory also facilitated youth initiatives and educational projects within Frankfurt.
Gregory has choreographed/directed and assisted for Dance, Opera and Theatre productions.
He is the European Liaison of the New York Institute of Dance & Education (NYIDE), and Executive, Foundational Faculty of the New York Dance Festival, now held at School of American Ballet, where he directs, teaches, and annually choreographs for over 20 years.
Presently, Gregory is a full-time contemporary dance teacher at MOSA Ballet School in Liege, Belgium.
Chauntée D Andrews
Chauntée D. Andrews is a visionary director, master choreographer, and national producer whose artistry and leadership have left an indelible mark on the dance world. With international credits and collaborations alongside industry luminaries, Chauntée brings a rare combination of creative brilliance and executive expertise to every project she undertakes.
As Musical Production Coordinator and Choreographer for the Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Cherry Blossom Parade, her work reaches millions nationwide through ABC, whose parent company is Disney, and peer network syndications. Her work blends precision, spectacle, and artistry.
Chauntée is President and Artistic Director of DANCE4LIFE School of the Arts and Training Institute and Artistic Director of The Delaware Contemporary Dance Theatre. She has been cultivating the next generation of industry professionals, while pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance. These organizations were birthed as a result of her being a client of the New York Institute of Dance & Education, and the immeasurable mentorship of the legendary Joan Myers Brown founder of Philadanco. Chauntée’s affiliation with NYIDE has inspired her lifelong commitment to dance education, mentorship, and community.
A longtime collaborator with Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre, Chauntée’s achievements have been recognized with the Carmen De Lavallade Award for Dance: Spirit of Life honor. Her transformative contributions to dance across stage, screen, and national syndication, Chauntée D. Andrews embodies innovation and the enduring power of movement to transform lives.
Brenna McLaud
Brenna McLaud is a keeper of McLeod Technique history, and longtime wielder of McLeod Technique philosophy of purposeful intention to be right by mankind. She trained at the New York Institute of Dance & Education and eventually performed with the Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre years later. As founder of the Landing Dance Center in Vancouver, today she is a Horton specialist. Brenna embraced the practice and range of McLeod Technique to prepare her for a professional career in dance with Gus Giradono Dance Company in Chicago at 16 years of age, and even more as she fully stepped into an international dance career with world tours starting at 18 years old. For several years after completing her tour work she used the foundational principles of McLeod Technique to guide her as she expanded her dance vocabularies, techniques, and landscapes. Eventually that journey would lead to Horton Technique, a study she loves, studies, and teaches today.
Patrick Parson
Patrick Parson was the founder of Ballet Creole in Toronto, Canada. Whether it was at the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conferences around the nation, stopping in Central New York, inviting Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre to Toronto, or joining to teach and take master classes at the New York Dance Festival, Patrick was an invaluable friend and family member of Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre until he left the earthly plane in fall of 2024.
Innovative Outcomes
Throughout the years, Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre has had many partnerships that allow the unique life-work to take place.
Circles
The purpose of Circles is to change a child’s future outlook based on the types of activities and personalities they encounter today. To positively stimulate a childʼs cultural, educational and artistic curiosity, then fulfill it with activities and experiences not normally accessible to them. Isolated and low income youth grow up in a circle where real life necessities outweigh the childʼs dream.
The Power of Dance
This was made possible with public funds from the Cayuga County Arts Council under the New York Council on the Arts Decentralization Program and through the support of the Auburn YMCA-WEIU, Cayuga Community College, Schweinfurth Art Center and The Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre.
I am the Author of My Own Life Story
Partnership with the New York State Department of Children and Family Services
Cultural Partnership for Community Diversity and Social Impact
Through this partnership with Auburn Enlarged City School District’s then Superintendent Constance Evelyn, $22,000 worth of scholarships were granted to students to attend the New York Dance Festival.
I Love Me a Girls Conference
Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre worked with girls, teens, parents, Good Life Youth Foundation, and the Team Rock leadership team to inspire participants to go beyond the barriers life may put up for them. Using Emotional Development and Personality Development, all wrapped in joyous movement – participants walked away, moved to action.
The Courage to Dream: Industry Day
Partnership with Kristen B Model Coaching. This day inspired the room to go beyond simply creating goals, understanding the tangible steps to being the best model, Industry Professional, and person. Participants honed Runway walking, Auditioning, and Movement skills using the codified MT – McLeod Technique.
Impacting Cultural change
It is more than just dance, music, and theatre, Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre presents cultural offerings to ensure inclusion and reach of audiences across the globe, regardless of demographic.
Community of Color
Since 1995, the Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre has presented the Community of Color Honors Awards. Part of Black History Month celebrations, Community of Color Honors have paid homage to private and public citizens that dared to care for their larger community and nation. The multi level awards are selected through the work of an anonymous committee and no nominations are accepted. The anonymous Community of Color committee members constantly search, and in many cases for years at a time, to find selfless givers at different parts of their lives and careers who clearly define the best of who we are as a diverse and inclusive people.
Tour On Self-Esteem Through Movement
“Kaleidoscope Tour on Self Esteem through Dance” includes a dance demonstration and an Oprah-like “talk show” interaction. The conversation revolves around life possibilities to achieve dreams, positive role models, the importance of healthy family relationships especially with parents, reinforcement of the importance of good communication with the teachers and administrators that educate them daily, and self perpetuated respect, responsibility, and accountability for themselves and their fellow students.
In The Footsteps of Martin: A Conference for Men
“In the Footsteps of Martin: A Conference for Men”, is an opportunity to bring men and especially men of color together to engage and help one another ask questions we often don’t know how to ask. Held in partnership with Reaching for Higher Ground Consulting and various local organizations, this conference brings men and those that support men together to explore being better men, to discuss supporting our families with solid business understanding, and help those who own businesses gain insight on how to keep their business afloat. There is no wrong way to do this, the success in our coming together.
Black Ballet Discovery Project
The Black Ballet Discovery Project is a national grassroots mechanism designed to stimulate and encourage commissions and opportunities for established and talented Black ballet choreographers with the world’s leading classical ballet dance companies and organizations. We begin by asking our country’s most visible ballet companies and schools: “If you discovered a world-class genius level Black choreographer, master teacher, or ballet innovator, would you hire them? Commission them? Provide them the economic resources needed to work unimpeded? Supply studio space in which to work? Provide an equitable standard of living that respects their integrity, talent and contribution like their white counterparts?” If the answer is yes, we say let’s begin now.
First presented with the International Associations of Blacks in Dance in 2017 and then at the New York State Dance Education Association Conference in 2018, this cultural offering has partnered with other organizations and individuals within the field to not only shed light on geniuses within the field but offer access to institutions who traditionally do not have the door of access.
Two Black Voices
With the support of the National Endowment of Arts and access to School of American Ballet through a partnership with SAB and New York City Ballet Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford; Two Black Voices is a collaborative intellectual vehicle to present, teach, and study the under treasured Black Dance Vocabularies of Fagan Technique and McLeod Technique. This research, cross analysis, and data driven study takes place through in-studio workshop sessions launched at School of American Ballet, scholarly conversation, and performance of choreography by William J Ferguson II and Sean McLeod.
This approach comes together to discuss the following questions; are there indeed Black dance techniques, what makes these two vocabularies in particular dance techniques, and what discernible differences and fundamental similarities exist between the two syllabi and other European based techniques such as Classical Ballet.
A Tale of Two Lands: From Formosa to New York
Grammy Nominated Taiwanese Composer Chihsuan Yang and Jefferson Award for Public Service to America, celebrated African American Composer, Director, and Choreographer Sean McLeod; collaborate on a cross cultural work fusing their cultural music and heritage. Made possible by New Music USA and supported by the National Parks Arts Foundation and their support of what’s creatively next in music and dance. This new work expands concepts of culture, heritage, and what aspects define one another.
Generation to generation our backgrounds are different. Combining Asian inspiration through the erhu, violin, and electronic compositions of Chihsuan Yang and the Negro Spiritual, Classical, Urban motifs composed by Sean McLeod, the direction and choreographic voicing of McLeod Technique, unlocks an ability for audiences to consider more and share togetherness found in foreign places of this new work.
