Biography
James R. Atkinson, Jr. is a native of New Haven, Connecticut, and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Dance at Alabama State University. He previously held the position of BFA Dance Program Director at the university and was one of the founding faculty members of the BFA Program in the Fall of 2013. Mr. Atkinson earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Tisch School of Arts at New York University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), within the School of Arts' Conservatory of Dance.
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Mr. Atkinson's journey in dance began at the New England Ballet School and Education Center for the Arts. He was awarded a full scholarship to train at the Dance Theatre of Harlem for three years and also studied ballet with Madame Darvash at Carnegie Hall. Throughout his career, Mr. Atkinson received summer scholarships to attend renowned institutions such as Hartford Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Milwaukee Ballet. He had the privilege of training under the guidance of esteemed dance educators and mentors, including Kenneth Hopkins, Susan Mathekee, Willie Feuer, Joyce DiLauro, Victor Trevino, Joanne Whitehill, Karen Goodman, Arthur Mitchell, Alvetina Lisina, Jenny Chiang, Robert Garland, Tyrone Brooks, Laveen Naidu, Ronald Perry, Rachel Sekyi, and Valerie Taylor.
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During his time at Purchase College, Mr. Atkinson trained with accomplished dance professionals such as Bettijane Sills of the New York City Ballet, the late Richard Cook (former Director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet), Ted Kivett and Rosanna Seravalli of the American Ballet Theatre, Larry Clark, Kevin Wynn, Pascal Rioult, Joyce Herring, Stephanie Tooman, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Michael Blake, and Jill Ecko.
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As a performing artist, Mr. Atkinson has worked with notable dance companies including New England Ballet and Sonya Plum Dance Company in Connecticut. He made his debut with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble during his junior year of college, and as a senior, he was selected to perform with Ballet Preljocaj during their American tour at Purchase College. Throughout his career, he has been a company member of Gleich Dances Contemporary Ballet, Compania de Danza Contemporanea de Burgos, Sacramento Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Oakland Ballet, Capacitor, and Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Columbia City Ballet for two seasons.
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Mr. Atkinson's performances have allowed him to showcase choreography by acclaimed choreographers such as George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Arthur Mitchell, Louis Johnson, John Taras, Michael Smuin, Ron Cunningham, Val Caniparoli, John Alleyne, William Starrett, Jose Mateo, Brett Raphael, Ronn Guidi, and Angelin Preljocaj, among others. His artistry was recognized and featured in the June/July 2005 issue of Pointe Magazine, where he was described as a "powerful presence." Furthermore, he graced the cover of the New York Times Arts Section on February 9, 2005.
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In 2005, Mr. Atkinson founded the Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre in Columbia, South Carolina, which is now located in New York City and Connecticut. He has also served as the resident choreographer for the Burklyn Ballet Theatre Summer Program, Rehearsal Director for Oakland Ballet Nutcracker Children, Artistic Director of Ballet Savannah, Oakland Dance Studios, co-director of Alabama State University's Eclectic Dance Company during the 2014/2015 season, and Artistic Director of the University Dance Company during the 2015/2016 season. He also founded the Alabama Festival of Ballet, Alabama Minority Choreographers Festival Ballet Bootcamp, featuring the Nutcracker Atoomba.
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As a director and choreographer, Mr. Atkinson has been a three-time resident choreographer for the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation ChoreoQuest Project in Brooklyn, New York. He has received grants and awards from institutions such as the Connecticut Department of Art Culture and Tourism City of New Haven Mayor’s Community Grants, Connecticut Office of the Arts & Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Mr. Atkinson's choreographic works have been recorded and performed at various institutions and events, including Columbia City Ballet, Alabama State University, University of Alabama, Auburn University, Goucher College, Samford University, Sacramento Ballet, Compania de Danza Contemporanea de Burgos, Sacramento State University, Carolina Ballet, New England Ballet, Starship Dance Theater, Ballet Savannah, Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Youth Arts Academy, New Dance Group, and New Jersey Youth Ballet.
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His company, Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre, has been selected to perform at prestigious events and venues in New York City, such as the Juilliard School, Brooklyn Museum, Apollo Theater, The Thong Dao Contemporary Dance Festival, Downtown Dance Festival, White Wave Dumbo Dance Festival, Green Space Fertile Ground Performance Series, Dixon Place-Under Exposed, Battery Dance Festival, Fourth Arts Block Festival (FAB), Man Dance, New York University's Black History Celebration, Boogie Down Dance Festival at the Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), Steps on Broadway Performance Lab, and City Parks Foundation SummerStage (Brooklyn). In Connecticut, his company has performed at the International Festival of Art and Ideas, Namaskaar Foundation World On Stage Spring Dance Festival, Arts Council of Greater New Haven, City of New Haven 375-Year Celebration, and Education Center for the Arts Summer Dance Concert.
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Beyond the tri-state area, Mr. Atkinson's work has been presented at prominent events and venues such as the World Games 2022 Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Birmingham, AL, Alabama State Council On the Arts Celebration of The Arts in 2019 and 2017, City of Montgomery Cultural Affairs, Independent Celebration in 2021 and 2022 in Montgomery, AL, Alabama Dance Festival in Birmingham, AL, Loft Session in Boston, Massachusetts, Highlands Playhouse in North Carolina, Sumter Opera House, Columbia Music Festival Association in South Carolina, Douglas Theater in Macon, Georgia, The Chi Movement Arts Center in Philadelphia, Dance Canvas in Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte Dance Festival in North Carolina, and American College Dance Festival in Auburn, Alabama, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Oxford, Mississippi.
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Mr. Atkinson has shared his expertise and passion for dance through teaching classes and workshops at institutions such as the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Goucher College, Montgomery Ballet, Symphony Q Academy of Dance, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Youth Arts Academy, P.S. 21 Crispus Attucks School, Alabama State University, Birmingham Dance Festival, American College Dance Festival, Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre, Whitney Center, Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School-Co-op & Yale University After School Program, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School Dance Program, Carver Elementary School Dance Program, Baldwin Academics Magnet Dance Department, Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Haven, Sarah Kennedy's Ballet for Young, Starship Dance Theater, EASTCONN's Arts Magnet High School Capitol Theater Dance Department, Destiny Arts, Charlotte Dance Festival, New England Ballet, Columbia Music Association, Caroline Mack Center for The Arts, Miss Libby's School of Dance, Northeast Academy of Dance, and New Dance Group.
Currently, Mr. Atkinson serves as the President of the Alabama Dance Council and ASU Faculty Senate. He is a friend of the Royal Academy of Dance and has previously served on The American College Dance Association Boards, Montgomery Ballet, and Booker T. Washington Magnet High School F.A.M.E.