Kyle Abraham

American choreographer Kyle Abraham trained as a dancer at the Civic Light Opera Academy and Performing Arts High School, Pittsburgh. He continued in New York, receiving a BFA from SUNY Purchase and an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. 

Led by Abraham’s innovative vision, the work of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham is galvanized by Black culture and history and features the rich tapestry of Black and Queer stories. The company’s recent works include: Cassette #Vol. 1, MotorRover, An Untitled Love, Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth and A.I.M’s Emmy-nominated film If We Were a Love Song.  

He has also been commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, The National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, and The Royal Ballet. His dance film When We Fell, for New York City Ballet, was nominated for Best Film by the National Dance Awards Critics’ Circle. He created Optional Family: A Divertissement and The Weathering for The Royal Ballet.  

He has created solo works for international dance stars such as Misty Copeland, Calvin Royal III and Wendy Whelan and choreographed for Beyonce’s British Vogue cover shoot, the music video for Sugar by Sufjan Stevens and Colin Trevorrow’s feature-length film, The Book of Henry.  

Abraham’s choreography has been presented throughout the United States and abroad. Notable venues and festivals include Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, Harlem Stage, The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Kennedy Center, Maison de la Danse, Théâtre de la Ville, The Royal Opera House and Sadler’s Wells, among others. 

Awards include Dance Magazine’s ‘25 to watch’ (2009), a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance and the Princess Grace Award for Choreography (2010), the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award and USA Ford Fellow (2012), MacArthur Fellow (2013), Doris Duke Award (2016), Princess Grace Statue Award (2018) and National Dance Critics Award for Choreography (2024). He has an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Washington Jefferson College, is a visiting professor at UCLA, and was in 2021 named Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor in Dance at The University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. He serves on the advisory boards for Dance Magazine and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.