Tony-nominated choreographer, director, and artistic director Camille A. Brown joins Cultural Catalysts to talk about how a shy Black girl from Jamaica, Queens who choreographed to DuckTales and TailSpin theme songs grew into one of the most influential voices in contemporary theater and dance. From early training at Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center and the Ailey School to dancing with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and then founding Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Camille shares how movement became both a safe space and a calling as she navigated body policing, “ideal” ballet standards, and the scarcity of Black women choreographers on major stages. She opens up about creating a distinct choreographic voice, saying no when asked to imitate others, and building an organization that now includes mentorship, touring concert works like Black Girl: Linguistic Play and ink, and her social dance platform, Everybody Move, which celebrates African American social dances as archives of history and joy.
Tony-nominated choreographer, director, and artistic director Camille A. Brown joins Cultural Catalysts to talk about how a shy Black girl from Jamaica, Queens who choreographed to DuckTales and TailSpin theme songs grew into one of the most influential voices in contemporary theater and dance. From early training at Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center and the Ailey School to dancing with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and then founding Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Camille shares how movement became both a safe space and a calling as she navigated body policing, “ideal” ballet standards, and the scarcity of Black women choreographers on major stages. She opens up about creating a distinct choreographic voice, saying no when asked to imitate others, and building an organization that now includes mentorship, touring concert works like Black Girl: Linguistic Play and ink, and her social dance platform, Everybody Move, which celebrates African American social dances as archives of history and joy.
Camille and Alison also dig into the realities of being the first Black woman since Katherine Dunham to direct and choreograph a Broadway play, the toll and responsibility of “breaking glass,” and the lineage of Black women artists and administrators whose names and labor she insists on honoring. Along the way, Camille reflects on directing and choreographing across Broadway, opera, and film; the collaborators and administrators who helped her grow from a one-woman shop; and how she is learning to hold grief, boundaries, rest, and humanity alongside unprecedented professional visibility.
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