Join Mounarath Powell Dance for a special Contemporary Jazz Masterclass with Kevin Jenkins on Wednesday, October 23rd from 11am-12:30pm. This class is open to intermediate and advanced dancers ages 16+ and will be held at MP Dance Studio (8674 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa). Class admission is $10 online (pre-registered) or $15 at the door (cash or Venmo).
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Dance Magazine has praised Kevin’s work as “riveting” and he travels throughout the country choreographing for State Street Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, San Diego Dance Theater, the School of Ballet Arizona, SUNY Purchase, CPYB, Island Moving Company, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, and Big Muddy Dance among others. He has served on faculty at Boston Ballet School, Joffrey Ballet School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the University of San Diego, and Master Ballet Academy. His choreography has been performed on the Inside/Out Series at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and he has been awarded residencies with Djerassi and the National Choreographers Initiative.
Kevin trained in San Diego under Dave Mullen, Kathy Meyer, Teresa Wells, Kevin Patterson, and Ahita Ardalan. His diverse training led to working with a variety of companies including Mirable Ballet, Butterworth Dance Company, San Diego Dance Theater, and in productions of Guys and Dolls and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Outside the concert dance realm he appeared in commercials for Allstate Insurance, Latinva Fitness, and Verizon Wireless, danced backup in Las Vegas for the band NRG, and performed in ballroom productions with Mary Murphy.
Stepping away from performing in 2006 he founded Garage Contemporary Ballet with Ryan Orion Beck and served as co-artistic director through 2012. The company was featured in festivals such as 4×4, Breaking Ground, Ignite, Celebrate Dance Festival, and San Diego Young Choreographer’s Prize, while also presenting their own annual season. During this period his work in dance film won him three Editors Choice Awards from Dance and Pointe Magazine. His films went on to be featured in the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Greensboro Dance Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, and American Dance Festival.
Deciding to focus on freelance choreography instead of directing a company, Kevin moved to San Francisco where he choreographed for Western Ballet, Emote Dance Theatre, the Orchestra Institute of Napa Valley, and Bay Pointe Ballet. He began traveling as well, creating for Convergence Ballet, Terpsicore Dance Company, Southwest Classical Youth Ballet, as well as Darian Lane’s film At The Ballet.
After leaving San Francisco Kevin enjoyed a two year tenure with Boston Ballet School. He now lives in San Diego and directs Ballet Counterpointe, which he founded in 2022. He still creates for companies and productions around the country including choreographing and directing Gayle Skidmore’s Hourglass music video and working under Jeremy Lapp at Musical Theatre Guild choreographing Minnie’s Boys. He has also choreographed opera singer Natalie Bancroft’s 2019 European tour and created for dance companies and universities such as Eglevsky Ballet, Ballet Dallas, Bellingham Repertory Dance, Columbia Repertory Ballet, Ketchikan Theatre Ballet, Muhlenberg College, Grossmont College, LITVAK Dance, Wanderlust Dance Project, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Belhaven University, Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet 5:8.
