Kelly Seph White, Founder & Director

Born and raised in New Orleans, LA, Kelly Seph White is a performer, choreographer, researcher and dance educator. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Southern Mississippi and a M.A. in Dance Education from New York University. During her 17 year stay in New York City, Kelly had the distinct honor to study under the great Jean Leon Destine, Baba Richard Gonzalez, Nia Love, Ron K. Brown, Nadia Dieudonne and Aussettua Amor Amenkum.  She has trained and performed at the American Dance Festival, Plaza Cuba, New Waves Trinidad, Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow.  As a performer, Ms. White has graced stages such as Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Aaron Davis Hall and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.  She has performed with Ase Dance Theater Collective, Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective, Kwame Ross's Prophecy Dance Works, Nia Love’s Blacksmith’s Daughter, Feet of Rhythm Dance Company and Ground Provision Movement.  Her choreography has been performed in venues and productions such as the Djoniba Drum and Dance Showcase, New York City Dance Collective, Story of her Steps, Dance New Amsterdam Showcase, Psychotherapy Network Association Conference, Voices of Congo Square New Orleans Tricentennial Performance, Cumbe’s Mixed Flava’s Performance Series, RAP Unzel, Feast: A Yoruba Project, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans Congo Square Festival, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Dance Africa Youth Performance.  

Kelly has been blessed with opportunities to teach at the New Orleans Dance Festival, Mark Morris Dance Group, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Extensions Program, Djoniba Dance and Drum Center, Peridance Capezio Center, Dancing Grounds, Psychotherapy Network Association Conference, Dance New Amsterdam, New Orleans Ballet Association and the Urban Bush Women B.O.L.D. Conference.   Ms. White is a second-generation educator who has brought the art form of dance to a host of colleges and public schools located in Louisiana, Georgia, California, Mississippi, Vermont, Texas, New Jersey and New York. 

She has served as an adjudicator and consultant for the New York City Department of Education Arts Achieve Assessment Pilot Program.  In addition, she has worked as a consultant with various Arts organizations in the NYC area developing Arts based curriculum and workshops.  In Spring of 2004, Ms. White founded and curated the Story of Her Steps Women of Color Performance Series.  From 2016-2018 she served as the Rehearsal Director & Associate Director of Voices of Congo Square Tricentennial Performance.  Kelly founded and is the Director of EVOLVE Diaspora where she creates opportunities for professional dancers, researchers, scholars and educators to intensely study dances of the African Diaspora. Presently, she is developing the curriculum and programming for the Young Audiences Charter Middle and High Schools Dance Department.

My ARTISTIC practice is to preserve the dances of the African Diaspora while uplifting people of color.  In my work as a choreographer and educator, one can see a through line that tells a story of the African people displaced throughout the Americas.   Using Modern dance and dances of the African Diaspora, I explore the following themes - social and racial injustice, the black woman’s role in the struggle against the oppressor, black love, spirituality and the rich stories of the black culture that is our historical blueprint. Embedded in my work, is the historical context and meaning of the traditional movement. It serves as a tool in preserving the cultural practices of people of color.  Whether in community classes or workshops/residencies, I challenge my participants to look at the movement through the lens of how we can connect and honor our past while elevating the African people.