Hope Boykin, An Inspirational Dancer And Choreographer Essay

Some say in life all you need to make it through is one thing, hope; however, I think they forgot about one thing. Her last name, Boykin. Hope Boykin, an inspirational dancer and choreographer, is all I need to think of to keep pushing through struggles in my studies and choreography. Being in the Choreographing world, not to mention the dance field as a whole, to be known as a powerhouse is something, I believe, all dancers want to aspire to. She has been through well known companies, learning with some of the greats. She has grown into a caring, encouraging, and extremely dance motivated choreographer, teacher, and dancer. Hope Boykin is a three-time recipient of the American Dance Festival’s Young Tuition Scholarship; however, before she never set out to become a professional dancer at all. As a child she was accepted as a dancer by Nina Wheeler, the school director. She encouraged her to go to the American Dance Festival in Durham, where she trained on a work scholarship, and was greatly influenced by such choreographers as Pearl Primus, Talley Beatty and Donald McKayle. As a young adult, she went to Howard University where she pursued a major in Psychology before shortly dropping out. She wanted to dance, but never really knew it. While in Washington, DC she performed with Lloyd Whitmore’s New World Dance Company. Hope was assistant to the late Talley Beatty and an original member of Complexions and received a New York Dance and Performance Award while working with