Lily Kind

Lily Kind(they) is a dance-maker, performer, writer, and educator. Before moving to London in 2023, Lily was at the heart of grassroots dance scenes in the USA in Baltimore and Philadelphia as the director of critically acclaimed dance theatre works and as founder of EffervescentCollective (2008-2014), Associate Director of Urban Movement Arts (2017-202), and co-founder of Ragtag Empire (2016-2023).

Their work has been presented in London, Cairo, Brussels, and across the US. Now based in London, they are a Unit Leader at London Contemporary Dance School and a former Senior Lecturer (FHEA) at De Montfort University. Lily has also taught at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, Princeton University, Tulane University, Marymount Manhattan, and Ursinus College.

Lily specialises in the methods of David Zambrano (Flying Low & Passing Through), having trained and taught these methods internationally for over a decade, including as a participant in Zambrano’s 60 Days Project in 2019. Lily’s movement languages cohere around improvisation and collaboration, with roots in Vernacular Jazz and Lindy Hop. They had the privilege of training closely in 20th-century Black American dance styles with Ron Wood, The Hood Lockers, Vince Johnson, and Breai Mason-Campbell.

Lily joined House of Suraj as a Waacker in 2023 and has served as rehearsal assistant for Kumari Suraj. They have worked with Stephan Koplowitz, Raphael Xavier, Mark ‘Metal’ Wong, Chelsea Murphy, Baltimore Rock Opera Society, Bosley, Dan Deacon, Adam Stone and others. Lily has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, and clown training from Headlong Dance Theatre. Their writing can largely be found at Dance Art Journal, Dance Chronicle, Culture Bot, and Phindie.