Founding Artistic Director & CEO

Derick McKoy, Jr. (he/him), originally from Miami, Florida, is an award-winning choreographer, visionary entrepreneur, dedicated dance educator, and accomplished arts administrator. A Glorya Kaufman Scholar, he is a proud graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance and holds a Master’s degree in Performing Arts Administration from NYU Steinhardt.

McKoy has toured nationally and internationally with prestigious companies such as Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Nimbus Dance, and Jeremy McQueen’s Emmy Award-winning Black Iris Project. He made a television appearance on the acclaimed FX series POSE, and debuted in opera with The Dallas Opera in their production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. In 2025, he performed at the AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference as part of Dancers Deserve Better (formerly Dancers of DBDT).

As a performer, McKoy has brought to life the work of choreographers including Alvin Ailey, Matthew Rushing, Crystal Pite, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Dawn Marie Bazemore, Kameron Saunders, Alejandro Cerrudo, Marco Goecke, and Norbert De La Cruz III, among others. He began his formal training under Luctricia Welters, joining her company Jubilee Dance Theater after just one year. His technical foundation was further sharpened through prestigious scholarships and training programs at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Arts Umbrella, BalletX, Ballet Hispánico, Springboard Danse Montréal, and NW Dance Project’s LAUNCH.

As a choreographer, McKoy is a dynamic and emotionally resonant voice, widely recognized for his compelling storytelling through movement. His choreography has been described as “authentic,” “dramatic,” and “important.” In 2022, he was one of four choreographers commissioned by the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of the Joffrey Ballet, to create new work. His choreography has been presented at Battery Dance Festival, Moody Performance Hall, Ailey Citigroup Theater, NJPAC, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Ades Performance Space, and Youth America Grand Prix. His work with Jeremy McQueen’s The Black Iris Project has earned Emmy nominations, a Telly Award, and a Hermes Creative Award in choreography.

In 2025, McKoy was selected as one of four choreographers awarded the prestigious WATERWORKS Commissioning Fellowship from Harlem Stage, in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and The Ailey School. This groundbreaking partnership between two cultural powerhouses marks the 20th anniversary of the WATERWORKS initiative, celebrating artists of the Global Majority who push the boundaries of performance and radical storytelling.

McKoy is the Founding Artistic Director & CEO of McKoy Dance Project (MDP), a contemporary dance company rooted in five core pillars: authenticity, integrity, equity, community, and fun. MDP exists as a platform to amplify and celebrate the voices of people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community, investing deeply in the dance field while building pathways of access and visibility. Under his leadership, MDP continues to expand its national footprint and mission-driven work through performances, residencies, education, and engagement.

Fun Facts:

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Every time we let a moment pass us without action or discovery, we prevent ourselves from becoming who we are meant to be.

Derick McKoy, Jr.

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