Check Out Kenneth Brown’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Brown

Hi Kenneth, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Dance, for me, started with observation. Others observed that I had a natural affinity for movement while I spent my time observing those around me and on my television screen. I was not fortunate enough to take formal or studio dance classes at an early age, so I would learn from those I observed and watched, nearly exclusively street dancers. This study was able to translate to local shows and performances here and there where, even though not adapt at the specific style, my movement ability allowed me to be recognized in the space as a dance captain. At this time my primary artistic discipline was as a vocalist, I played multiple sports, was working, and had just auditioned for and was accepted into my high school’s performing show choir. It seemed that a path both academically and artistically had been carved out for me, but my family moved from where we had always been located on the far north side of Columbus to an area close to where my father and his family grew up, in South Linden in the inner city area of Columbus. I had spent a lot of time in the area growing up, but there was a significant difference in being aware of and familiar with the area and lifestyle and being truly immersed in it. Additionally, that meant that the path that was seemingly charted for me had taken a very significant detour. My new school had no sports and the move had cost me my job, so all that was left was academics and the arts in a new place with unfamiliar people and, from a dance perspective, no formal training.

Fortunately, the school was an academic and arts accelerated school which provided me the opportunity to explore the arts in a new way. I dove into music, theater, and dance classes in a way not available to me before this transition and, through a freshman level Dance 1 course taken my junior year, I found dance in a completely different light and, in some ways, dance truly found me as well. I studied EVERYTHING I could get my hands on and utilized it in street dance group within our school to get my first real choreography experience. I learned by watching and (attempting to) moving with them while providing insights and movement ideas I had pulled from studying other styles and movement types. By complete happenstance, the instructor/director of the school’s performance ensemble walked into that Dance 1 classroom and saw me choreographing a small group piece. She invited me to audition for the ensemble for my senior year and with her encouragement, and little to lose, I did and was accepted. The next year I had the opportunity to physically engage in what I had been studying before as we experienced street dance, ballet, musical theater, jazz, swing, African, modern, contemporary, and folk dance all under the guidance of curators of their craft.

After graduating, my focus shifted back to academics and vocal music. I choreographed for a show my freshman year in college and performed in local and college theater and musical theater before taking a step away from the arts entirely due to family circumstances. I still watched, I still observed, and once the itch hit again, I began by going back to my street dance roots to perform and instruct locally. I used this proximity to dance educators to take more classes and learn more about the other genres I had fallen in love with in the past, a re-education in a new light. Through continued commitment to learning and, especially, sharing what I have been given, I have been able to instruct from the lowest level recreational class to professional and pre-professional dancers, from ages 3 (shudders) to 63, and in many different styles and genres of movement. I’ve been blessed to choreograph from beginner level studio classes, to competition dance, to collegiate dance programs, to professional theater productions. I do all of this with the same focus of sharing what I have been given in the hopes that someone I work with will be able to find more and express more about themselves through the medium that has helped me do the same and take that knowledge with them to every other aspect of their lives.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not, lol. The “ideal” path for the spaces that I have had the opportunity to occupy usually involve starting and studying dance from a very young age and developing both the physical and mental aptitude for dance and movement. I did not have that journey. As one that started late and in a less than inviting environment, a young, male, dance and theater creative in an inner city space, it took a lot of personal investment and acceptance that my path just wasn’t the same as those I shared space with. I didn’t have the training that my counterparts did. I didn’t have the look, or the lines, or all of the other things that we tend to associate with being a gifted mover and maker of dance. I still struggle with imposter syndrome to this day wondering, “What am I doing in THIS room with THESE people?”, “Do I belong here?”, “Do I deserve this?” I have tried my best to let go of trying to answer those questions and instead turn my focus toward taking advantage of the opportunities given to hopefully inspire someone with what I bring to the room regardless of whether or not I’m convinced I should be there.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a bit of a Swiss army knife artistically. I am a writer/singer/actor/dancer/spoken word artist/choreographer/instructor. What I believe I specialize in, is connecting. Finding a way to take whatever the ask is whether performance or studio space and helping the artist truly connect to the work and to themselves as a part of the artistic process. My hope is that when someone reaches out to me with an opportunity, they understand that the steps are secondary. The steps are a vehicle to something greater and deeper. I believe that if the steps are the primary area of growth for a dance student or performer who has worked with me, I have done them a disservice. That’s why the amazing humans that have told me that I have impacted them positively in their everyday or artistic lives outside of the specific class or production are what I am most proud of. I don’t exactly know what sets me apart from others, but I DO know that when I am called, I am called for a reason. That encourages me to make sure I am bringing my unique and authentic self whenever that call comes.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My family first and foremost, of course.

But artistically it’s utilizing what I do to impact others in a profound way. It doesn’t have to be everyone, it doesn’t have to be every time, but if I can help people walk away from my show or my class feeling a little more deeply, thinking a little more deeply, examining a little more closely, or understanding themselves and others a little bit better, I have walked in my purpose.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kbdanceexp
• Facebook: Kenny Brown Dance Experience
• Youtube: Kenny Brown Dance Experience

Image Credits
JAMS Photography, Desmond Storm E Jones