member profile

Kenneth Walker is Artistic Director of Kenneth Walker Dance Project (KWDP), a contemporary ballet company based in Southern California and a 2007 Lester Horton Dance Awards Nominee for Outstanding Performance by a Company for its program, Sheer Force of Will. Mr. Walker is currently on the teaching staff at Lauridsen Ballet Center, the official school of South Bay Ballet where he has taught and coached everyone from professional ballet dancers to young students and even Latin Ballroom dancers and holds a B.A. from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures. He is currently on the board of directors for the Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles. Kenneth has studied in intensive workshops with William Forsythe, director of The Forsythe Company, Alonzo King, director of Lines Contemporary Ballet as well as Donald Byrd and Bella Lewitzky. Kenneth has also worked with Los Angeles choreographers Francisco Martinez, Patrick Franz and Laurence Blake. His early training was with Diane Lauridsen of South Bay Ballet and later Paul Maure, Charles and Phillip Fuller and Cynthia Young at the Pasadena Dance Theatre. Kenneth has created dances for the Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Sacramento Ballet, Chico Community Ballet, Southern California Dance Theatre, San Pedro City Ballet, South Bay Ballet, Petaluma City Ballet, Dance Peninsula, DanceCorps, Dance Peninsula Dance Theatre, and Pasadena Dance Theater. Kenneth is the recipient of the young choreographer's award from the Southern CA Dance Theatre, and is the youngest finalist ever to compete in the Sarasota Ballet of Florida International Choreography Competition. His second collaboration with Michael Roberts was performed by members of the National Ballet of Guatemala in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of that company’s founding. His third collaboration with Michael Roberts celebrated the twenty year anniversary of Mr. Roberts' first album for the ballet class. His work has also been performed at the South Coast Dance Arts Alliance, Central Coast Summer Fest, Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charelston in South Carolina, Los Angeles Dance Invitational, MixMatch Dance Festival, Palm Desert Under the Stars Choreography Festival, “Dance! Santa Monica” festival, Sacramento Area Dance Alliance, Regional Dance America Festivals, Spectrum Dance in L.A., Ballet Pacifica Conservatory summer intensives, and at American Dance Guild in New York City.