by Donald Byrd, Choreographer and Artistic Director Spectrum Dance Theater
I arrived in Seattle 21 and a half years ago, carrying with me a sense of displacement. Coming from New York City—the perceived center of the dance world—I felt as though I had been exiled to the edge of the universe. Perhaps only Alaska would have seemed farther. Though my move was voluntary, accepting the position of Artistic Director at Spectrum Dance Theater, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being a refugee, removed from the heartbeat and vitality of the artistic epicenter I had always known.
Some of my initial alienation stemmed from the simple fact that Seattle was not New York. I was accustomed to the relentless pace, the constant exchange of ideas, and the density of artists living and breathing their craft in a city where dance was not just an art form but an essential part of its cultural fabric. In contrast, Seattle felt quieter, more isolated, and at times, disconnected from the urgency and intensity that had fueled my work in New York. This city’s rhythms were different, its artistic community smaller, and the general engagement with dance seemed, at least initially, less immediate.
But beyond the differences in artistic culture, one of the things that struck me most was the absence of Black people at many cultural events, particularly dance performances. Only at the most mainstream events—or what I call “Black Orthodoxy”—such as performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater or Dance Theatre of Harlem, did I see Black audiences show up in significant numbers. I craved that Black presence, the sense of community, and shared cultural understanding that had been so abundant in New York.
Yet, over time, I came to see that this very distance from New York was not just a challenge but an opportunity. Seattle offered a space to rethink, reimagine, and reshape my creative practice in ways that might not have been possible had I remained in the familiar churn of New York’s dance world. Without the constant comparison to an overwhelming tradition and hierarchy, I could explore new methodologies and redefine my artistic voice on my own terms.
At Spectrum Dance Theater, I saw an opportunity to not only shape a company but to create a space where Black artists could thrive. In some cases, I actively sought to bring Black and Black-identifying dancers into this community—artists like Nia-Amina Minor, marco farroni leonardo, and Akoiya Harris—many of whom have stayed in Seattle and enriched it, not just by their presence but through their deep engagement with both the dance world and the broader community. Their contributions, along with those of organizations like the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, LANGSTON, ARTE NOIR, and Wa Na Wari, have played a vital role in creating spaces where Black people are encouraged to show up—and they do.
With time, my relationship to Seattle evolved. What once felt like exile began to feel like possibility. The geographical and psychological distance from New York allowed me to develop a choreographic language shaped not by expectation but by exploration. I was no longer simply lamenting what I had lost but discovering what could be built.
Perhaps exile is never just about being removed from a place but about the transformation that occurs in the space between departure and arrival. Looking back, I see that Seattle did not replace New York, nor did it need to. It became something else entirely: a site of reinvention, a landscape where I could forge new artistic identities, and ultimately, a place I could call home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donald Byrd is a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer. He has been the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle since December 2002. Formerly, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York that toured both nationally and internationally. He has created dance works for many leading companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem, among others, and worked extensively in theater and opera.
His many awards, prizes, and fellowships include the Doris Duke Artist Award; Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Cornish College of the Arts; Masters of Choreography Award, The Kennedy Center; Fellow at The American Academy of Jerusalem; James Baldwin Fellow of United States Artists; Resident Fellow of The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center; Fellow at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, Harvard University; and the Mayor’s Arts Award for his sustained contributions to the City of Seattle. He was recently named a 2019 Doris Duke Artist Awardee.
Donald Byrd received the 2016 James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award, which is funded by the Raynier Institute & Foundation through the Frye Art Museum | Artist Trust Consortium. The award supports and advances the creative work of outstanding artists living and working in Washington State and culminates in a presentation at the Frye Art Museum.
For more on Spectrum Dance Theater, visit: https://spectrumdance.org/
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