Ken Roberson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth L. Roberson 1956 (age 67–68) |
| Occupation(s) | Choreographer, dancer, professor, director |
| Known for | Avenue Q |
Kenneth L. Roberson (born 1956 in Thomson, Georgia) is an American choreographer and dancer best known for his work on Avenue Q.
Roberson was born in Thomson, Georgia. He was an undergraduate at the Henry Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia when he saw a local dance troupe performing and resolved to become a dancer.[1] In 1979, he graduated with a degree in journalism and got a job at the Athens Banner-Herald. He later quit his job for a chance to audition at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.[1][2] He attended the school for two years before joining dance-pop group Fantasy. He studied tap dancing under Henry LeTang who told him about the upcoming Paris premiere of Black and Blue. He went on to make his Broadway debut in the musical's American version in 1989.[1] He danced in the 1990 revival of Oh, Kay! and in Jelly's Last Jam, a musical about the life of Jelly Roll Morton. In 1998 he did the musical staging for John Leguizamo's one-man play Freak. Ken also was nominated for an Emmy Award for best choreography for Mr. Lequizamo's sketch comedy series House of Buggin' for Fox TV. This led to a job choreographing the 2000 US tour of The Civil War. He choreographed the Off-Broadway and Broadway versions of Avenue Q.[3] In 2009 he choreographed Colman Domingo's one-man show A Boy and His Soul.[4] Kenneth is director of ETHEL written and performed by Terry Burrell.
He is Professor of Practice, Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance at Indiana University.[citation needed]
