Person
Biography
Kelvin Rotardier was born and raised in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where he trained with Beryl McBurnie and performed at the Little Carib Theatre in the 1950s. After moving to New York City, he received a scholarship to study at the Pillow in 1963, when he was already an accomplished dancer in his early thirties who would go on to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as soon as the summer ended. At the Pillow, he danced in two works by Dutch choreographer Nel Roos, including
Form and Fantasy, photographed in rehearsal here by John Van Lund. He went on to become a celebrated principal dancer with the Ailey company, creating roles in enduring works such as
Night Creature and also appearing as a guest artist with the Harkness Ballet. After his retirement from the stage in 1975, he became an esteemed member of The Ailey School faculty, and, in 1984, he established and was the first director of the Ailey Student Performance Group, which continues to reach into traditionally underserved communities. He also choreographed three works for the Ailey company in the 1970s and 80s. Rotardier died in February 2016 at the age of 85.
Source of Biography
Written by Norton Owen for Jacob's Pillow Remembers.
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