Kieron Dwayne Sargeant |Skidmore College

Kieron Dwayne Sargeant

Assistant Professor of Dance

Office: Sports Center 243
Phone: 518-580-5382
Fax: 518-580-8356
E-mail: ksargeant@skidmore.edu

Kieron Dwayne Sargeant is an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, drummer, and dance researcher from Trinidad and Tobago. He holds an MFA in Dance from Florida State University, an MA from Ohio University, and a BA from the University of the West Indies. In addition to serving on the National Dance Education Organization Awards Committee, he is a member of the Central New York Humanities Corridor Working Group, Evolving Practices in Dance and Embodiment.

His choreography has received international recognition, with works commissioned and presented across the United States, Canada, Grenada, Barbados, Togo, and Nigeria, as well as throughout Europe through MSC Cruise Lines. Among his notable works is He Shall Walk, commissioned by Northwestern University’s Black Arts Consortium and the Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar. The work has been performed at the University of Wisconsin, the International African Diaspora Conference in Brazil, and the 3rd Edition of Rencontres Chorégraphiques de Lomé in Togo. Additional choreographic commissions include works for Danse Contemporaine in Togo, Metamorphosis Dance Company in Trinidad, the University of Iowa Dance and Theatre Department, Minnesota State University, and Bucknell University’s Department of Dance and Theatre.

His extensive teaching and collaborative experience spans institutions and organizations such as Intergrant Festival, New Waves Dance and Performance Institute, the International Association of Blacks in Dance, NYU Steinhardt, the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance, Binghamton University of Iowa, University, Woezo Africa Music and Dance Theatre Inc , Ailey Arts in Education and Community Programs, Dance New Jersey, École des Sables in Senegal, and the Nigerian Dance Guild in Nigeria.

As a researcher and author, Sargeant explores the relationships among dance, identity, ritual, and resistance within the African diaspora. His recent publications include “Bending but Not Breaking: Awakening to Limbo” in Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies, Volume 44, and “Drum, Sweat, and Longevity: Caribbean Dance as a Practice of Rejuvenation” in Dance Education in Practice. His forthcoming chapter, “Flick the Skirt: The Amplification of the African Body,” will appear in The African Diaspora and Civic Engagement. He has presented his research at national conferences hosted by the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance and the International Association of Blacks in Dance, as well as at international gatherings, including the African Diaspora Dance Traditions conference in Brazil and the Choreographic Encounters Conference in Togo.

Recognition of his scholarly and creative contributions includes the 2026 New York State Choreographers Initiative Award, the 2024 Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion Fellowship, the 2022 Grant Wood Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Performance at the University of Iowa, the 2021 International Artist Award from the Ayjano Folklore Heritage and Performing Arts Institution in Nigeria, and the 2020 UNESCO Dance Fellowship. In 2023, he also received a Citation Award from the Mayor of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, in recognition of his significant contributions to arts and culture.

His commitment to artistic excellence, cultural preservation, and community engagement led to the establishment of the Kieron Dwayne Sargeant Dance and Dance Education Foundation in Trinidad and Tobago in 2020. The foundation aims to nurture artistic communities and provide educational opportunities that empower dancers and educators throughout the African-Caribbean diaspora.

Through his continued dedication to preserving and advancing African-Caribbean dance traditions globally, Sargeant bridges academia, performance, research, and community engagement, contributing to the ongoing development and recognition of African diasporic dance practices.