When he moved to Cincinnati he struggled to find a place as a Black ballet dancer, so he created his own

CINCINNATI — When you watch a Revolution Dance Theatre ballet, you’ll see the typical pointe shoes and tutus, but you’ll also hear afro-drum beats and spirituals. Most importantly, to artistic director David Choate, you’ll see Black stories told through Black dancers.

He founded the company to promote diversity in Cincinnati’s fine arts and now as the only African American company in residence at the Aronoff Center, Choate’s dancers get to kick off Black History Month, telling those stories on one of the city’s most prestigious stages.

Choate got his start in the performing arts as a lighting technician and a stage manager, but the more dance he got to see from behind the scenes, the more interested he became in trying it out.

“It wasn’t a hard sell once I knew what it was,” he said.

He graduated from Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts as a dance major, focusing on ballet and modern dance. Choate then joined the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s second company, where he said he got the chance to dance alongside a diverse group of performers and train under many African American choreographers.

Read more @ https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/Black-History-Month/2022/02/04/revolution-dance-theatre-puts-the-spotlight-black-dancers#