Black History Month Spotlight: Lloyd Knight, Principal Dancer at the Martha Graham Dance Company
The thing about living in the greatest city in the world (New York, duh!) is that sometimes you take it for granted.
The best in arts and culture, the best restaurants, the best shopping... it’s all here right at our fingertips.
But that’s part of the problem. We know we can always go... tomorrow.
Case in point: I always knew I wanted to see the Martha Graham Dance Company.
But I didn’t get the opportunity until around this time last year when I was asked to emcee its 2022 Season Gala.
I was even lucky enough to watch the performance from backstage.
The sharpness of the moves... the energy... the flow of it all... all I can say is that it was a completely mesmerizing experience.
Created in 1926, the Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest modern dance company in America. Graham, the woman, revolutionized the art form.
And principal dancer Lloyd Knight is making his own mark.
Just have a look at the February cover of Dance Magazine.
As one of just three Black dancers at Graham, Knight is a role model... and a pioneer. Dancers, especially at that level, are still predominantly white.
How did Knight make it to the top? Here are excerpts from a recent conversation:
“IT’S BEEN A FIGHT”
ALINA CHO: Comparatively, you started dancing sort-of late in the game.
How did you get interested in dance and when did you realize it was your calling?
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yeah, it’s been a fight. I always say, “I feel like I’ve been playing catch up.”
ALINA CHO: Not anymore.
LLOYD KNIGHT: I went to a magnet performing arts middle school [in Miami], but I wasn't in the magnet program when I first joined, I was just a regular student. My homeroom class was in the dance studio, and we would play around on the dance floor and whatnot. One day, the dance teacher, she was like, "Can you just stay after school one day? Come by and let's just try out some moves." I didn't think anything of it at all. I had a lot of fun, and she took me into the program.
ALINA CHO: Well, she saw something in you.
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yeah, completely. And I was just in shock. That completely opened the door to that world. And at that time, so young, I think I also realized that that's kind of what I had been searching for, in a way. I wasn't big into sports growing up, and I loved watching musical theater movies. I love Shirley Temple.
ALINA CHO: And Sammy Davis Jr., right?
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yeah, we watched so many films with all these musical numbers, and I loved that. So, when I got into the dance program, I was kind of like, "Oh wow, I really love this."
ALINA CHO: But then you took a little bit of a detour.
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yeah, middle school was ending, and in Miami, the usual route is to audition for New World School of the Arts, which is a really great conservatory. I auditioned and I got on the waiting list, and for some reason in my mind, I was just like, "No one's going to give up their spot, it's not going to happen." Eventually, I went to a technical arts high school for architecture. But by the time junior year came around, I was like, "Okay, I really miss dance, and I want to get back into it.” So, I started taking night classes and weekend classes just to jump back into that world.
ALINA CHO: And then you met somebody who would change your life.
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yes, I met Peter London.
ALINA CHO: Explain who he is.
LLOYD KNIGHT: Former Graham principal [dancer]. He was teaching at a studio in Miami, and I just started taking classes. I found out that New World School of the Arts also offered a college program connected to University of Florida. I auditioned and I got it. So, I played catch up for that.
ALINA CHO: And then?
LLOYD KNIGHT: I came to New York right after graduation [18 years ago] to audition for Graham. And I got it.
ALINA CHO: Do you know how many people you beat out?
LLOYD KNIGHT: I believe it was 40 guys auditioning for two spots.
“IT’S ALL OR NOTHING”
ALINA CHO: For people who aren't familiar with the Martha Graham Dance company, what is it?
LLOYD KNIGHT: Its origins are a classical modern dance company, and it's the oldest modern dance company in America. Martha Graham was a revolutionary person. She really separated herself from classical ballet and that type of dance that was around at that time. So, you know, people were dancing swans and all these stories. She went away from that.
ALINA CHO: Well, she created a new genre.
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yeah. And a completely codified technique. It's all or nothing. It’s not like we're just doing a simple pirouette; it's how we get into the pirouette, how we do that movement and what comes out next.
ALINA CHO: You're literally throwing your whole body into it.
LLOYD KNIGHT: Yeah. And one thing about the Graham work is that you can't do anything less or else it just doesn't speak, and it doesn't read. It's all or nothing.
ON BEING A ROLE MODEL
LLOYD KNIGHT: [My mentor Peter London, also a prominent Black dancer] always spoke to me about carrying myself in a particular way. How to dress at galas, how to behave in rehearsals and events. He really taught me a lot.
ALINA CHO: Why do you think he told you all of that?
LLOYD KNIGHT: He came up during an [earlier] time where I guess he felt he had to carry himself in a certain way to get as far as he did in the dance world. And I think he wanted the best for me.
ALINA CHO: How tough is it to be a Black dancer in the dance world, which is still largely white?
LLOYD KNIGHT: It is very real, and I do feel it, especially going on tour to certain places. It really hit me. It was my first couple of years in the company, we did a show, and afterwards this mom and her daughter came up to me and they said, “Thank you.” And I said, “Thank you for coming. Thank you so much.” And they grabbed my arm and she really looked at me in the face, in the eye, and said, “No, thank you. You have no idea what it means to see you on that stage.”
ALINA CHO: Wow.
LLOYD KNIGHT: It’s really touching, and it catches me off guard at first, but it’s a beautiful experience because it’s real. You don’t see many Black artists, especially showcased [in the way that I am as a principal dancer].
ALINA CHO: You’re a role model.
LLOYD KNIGHT: If I can help open the doors for anybody, I would love to do that.