Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Kelly Seph White is a performer, choreographer, researcher and dance educator. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Southern Mississippi and a M.A. in Dance Education from New York University.  She is the mother to a bright and beautiful daughter named Morgan.  In her 17 years living in New York City, Kelly had the distinct honor to study under the great Jean Leon Destine, Baba Richard Gonzalez, Nia Love, Ron K. Brown, Nadia Dieudonne and Aussettua Amor Amenkum.  She was also honored to have trained and performed at the American Dance Festival, Plaza Cuba, New Waves Trinidad, Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow.  Ms. White has performed with Ase Dance Theater Collective, Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective, Kwame Ross's Prophecy Dance Works and Nia Love’s Blacksmith’s Daughter.  Her choreography has been performed in venues and productions such as the 92nd Street Y, Psychotherapy Network Association Conference, Mixed Flava’s Performance Series, Dance Africa, Feast: A Yoruba Project, and Voices of Congo Square New Orleans where she also served as the Associate Director.

 

Ms. White is a second-generation educator who has brought the art form of dance to a host of organizations, colleges and public schools located in Cuba, Louisiana, Georgia, California, Mississippi, Vermont, Texas, New Jersey and New York.  In 2017, Kelly co-founded and is the Director of EVOLVE Diaspora where she creates weekend intensives, cultural immersion trips, and community classes for professional dancers, researchers, scholars and educators to intensely study dances of the African Diaspora. Currently she is the Director of Fine & Performing Arts at Young Audiences Upper School located in New Orleans, Louisiana. She also serves as an organizer and contributor with Open Channels, a collective of scholars based in New Orleans and Santiago, Cuba.