BA in Theatre - Illinois State University
MFA in Dance - University of Iowa
Professional Member, National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)
Member, International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS)
Kyle Ayers (he/him) is a multi-disciplinary body-based artist originally hailing from Champaign, Illinois. Prior to entering higher education, Kyle served as the Director of the Dance Arts Conservatory for the Champaign Park District, a public dance program that offers training in various genres and styles. As a driven pedagogue, he pays particular attention to healthy anatomical function and longevity of the dancing body. His work and research are primarily situated within classical contemporary techniques. He is deeply invested in the principles of Limón Technique and has taught masterclasses around the country. He has been privileged to attend the Limón Teachers Workshop which allowed him space to explore the technique with master teachers Kurt Douglas and Kristen Foote through the Limón Foundation in New York City. He also offers instruction in Cunningham technique. Additionally, Kyle is certified to teach Giordano Jazz technique at the Intermediate level and endeavors to blend the vocabularies and stylings of classical and vernacular jazz with the Africanist aesthetics that lie at the heart of the Jazz movement tradition.
Kyle was selected as one of the inaugural Emerging Choreographers for NewDANCEfest in 2017, an intensive sponsored by Eisenhower Dance Detroit where he was invited to devise and stage his original choreographic work Tremor on the participants. Utilizing his background in theatre performance, Kyle's choreographic style often uses character work, idiosyncratic patterns, and exaggerated pedestrianisms to devise dances that combine abstract compositional structures with emotive movement vocabularies. In October 2023, he was invited to perform his original solo Things I Wish I Knew at the Champaign-Urbana Dance Festival. As a performer, he has had the opportunity to work with many choreographers across the country including Sara Semonis, Darby Wilde, Gregory Merriman, Jennifer Harge, Michael Richman, Tiffanee Arnold, Brian McGinnis, BAIRA MVMNT PHLOSPHY, Jim Moore, Greg Lagola, and Carol Abohatab.
Recently, Kyle has presented research and led workshops at the 8th Annual Somatic Dance Conference and Performance Festival in Geneva, NY and the 9th and 10th Annual Somatic Dance Conferences in Port Townsend, WA, all hosted by renowned pedagogue Bill Evans. In September 2022, he was invited to New Orleans for WGIcon, the official convention of Winter Guard International. There he gave a presentation titled Feedback as a Tool for Empowerment and Motivation which discussed practices of self-reflexivity in teaching and considerations for providing students with corrections and critique in ways that leave them feeling ready to succeed.