David Roussève

David Roussève is an American choreographer, writer, director and filmmaker. He founded his company, David Roussève/REALITY in 1988^[1] and has since choreographed, written and directed 14 evening-length works^[2] for the group. His latest work for REALITY, Halfway to Dawn^[3] premiered in October 2018 at REDCAT in Los Angeles before touring nationally and internationally.^[4] His work addresses issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia.^[5]

Roussève has commissioned work for a plethora of renowned companies including Ballet Hispanico, Dancing Wheels Company, Houston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater, Dance Alloy, Ilkhom Theatre Company of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, among others.^[6] In 2017, he choreographed “Lost in the Stars” (Kurt Weil) for SITI Company and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.^[7] Roussève’s work “Enough?” a 2016 commission for San Francisco’s RAWDance, was performed at LA’s Ford Theater by Lula Washington Dance Theatre in 2018.^[8]

Roussève graduated magna cum laude^[9] from Princeton in 1981^[10] as a Guggenheim Fellow for Creative Arts.^[11] Awards he has received include a Bessie^[12] seven consecutive National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, three LA Horton awards, the Cal Arts/Alpert Award in Dance, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Association of Black Princeton Alumni, a Creative Capital Fellowship and two Irvine Fellowships in Dance.^[7]

In 1996, Roussève joined the faculty of UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, where he is currently Distinguished Professor of Choreography.^[7] He has also served as Associate Dean (2014-2015),^[13] Acting Dean (2015) and Interim Dean (2015-2017) for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.^[14]

Roussève was raised in Houston^[15] and participated in ACT UP protests while living in New York in the late 1980s and early 1990s.^[5] He is married to Steven Rubenstein.^[16]