Artistic Director/Founder William Isaac
About
Mission Statement
Kymera Dance, founded in 2011 by Bessie Award winning (New York Dance and Performance Award) choreographer/dancer William Isaac, this project-based company is dedicated to making new work in the artistic discipline of dance, collaboration within other arts & entertainment fields and the development of future dance artists. As an artist, my goal is to explore the complexities of the human experience and to challenge the viewer to see the world from a new perspective. Through my work, I seek to expose the beauty in the mundane and to shed light on the underlying emotions and connections that bind us all. I believe that art has the power to spark change and to inspire compassion, and I strive to create pieces that will resonate with the viewer on a personal level.
Photo by Richard Termine
William Isaac
Bio
WILLIAM ISAAC award-winning artistic director, choreographer and dancer, was born on the island nation of Antigua. He is the founder of Kymera Dance. This project-based company is dedicated to making new work in the artistic discipline of dance, collaboration within other arts & entertainment fields and the development of future dance artists. The inaugural performance for Kymera Dance was in February 2012.
He is an alumnus of The Juilliard School, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art & Performing Arts, The Ailey School and Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center. Formerly a dancer with Armitage Gone! Dance as the principal male artist (Artistic Director Karole Armitage), he's also danced with Ballet de Lorraine (Artistic Director Didier Deschamps), The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Artistic Director Judith Jamison), Complexions Contemporary Ballet (Artistic Directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson), Alonzo King Lines Ballet (Artistic Director Alonzo King), Dance Theatre of Harlem (Artistic Director Arthur Mitchell), and The Philadelphia Dance Company affectionately known as “Philadanco” (Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown).
Mr. Isaac has received a Dance Lab New York Nexus Lab residency 2020, Next Festival of Emerging Artists Residency 2019, UNCSA Choreographic Institute Development Residency 2018, New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” award 2007-2008, a William Loeb award 1997, a NFAA award (Young Arts)1995, Donna Reed Festival Finalist 1995 and was the first Van Lier Fellowship recipient at The Ailey School from 1992-1994.
With his many years as an experienced teacher, he has conducted outreach and taught classes for Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (Teaching Artist), Ailey II, American Ballet Theater’s Make a Ballet program (Teaching Artist), Harlem School of the Arts, New York City Center (Teaching Artist), Columbia College in Chicago, The Door New York City, The University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana, Eglevsky Ballet, EMIA, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art & Performing Arts, and Joffrey’s Jazz and Contemporary program.
He has worked as the associate choreographer on the 2008 Tony award winning musical Passing Strange (turned into a film by Spike Lee), and the 2015 production of El Publico, Gerard Mortier’s last commission for Teatro Real based on Fredrico Garcia Lorca’s work. He’s also done additional choreography for Karole Armitage’s Three Theories for the World Science Fair, and Alice Farley and legendary jazz musician Henry Threadgill’s Erotec (The Human Life of Machines) for the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre.
Mr. Isaac has created work for Kymera Dance, Ailey/Fordham University BFA program, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Hofstra University, The Juilliard School, Texas Christian University, UNCSA, Philadanco’s “Danco on Danco” , The Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary program, and YAGP. Working in the commercial landscape he’s been on the creative teams for the Nike X Pedro Lourenco campaign starring Karlie Kloss and Coke Zero’s initial campaign launch for Spain and was a principal performer in Marc Jacobs Fall 2020 Fashion Show at the Park Avenue Armory. He’s recently made several experimental films and is always working on creating new movement language for his choreographic endeavors.
Photo by Whitney Browne
