Leni Wylliams

Leonard Morrell Williams was born in Denver, Colorado, on January 15, 1961. He later became known as Leni Wylliams.[1][2][3][4]

He graduated in 1979 from Thomas Jefferson High School (Denver).[5]

Wylliams's mother was Allice (Williams) Ollie; stepfather was Esau Ollie; father was Harold Williams Jr.; and three sisters were Kimberly, Dana, and Rebecca Williams - all who survived him.[6][7]

Wylliams began to pursue dance training at the Denver-based school of Cleo Parker Robinson during his early teens and subsequently advanced to performing in her company – Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble – until 1982 when at the invitation of Eleo Pomare, he moved to New York City to appear with Eleo Pomare Dance Company. Ultimately, Pomare set all of his solos on Wylliams - entrusting Wylliams to dance all of the roles he - Pomare - had created and performed for himself.[8][9][10]

Wylliams also danced in the companies of José Limón, Pina Bausch, Paul Sanasardo, Donald Byrd, Fred Benjamin, and Rod Rodgers, as well as with Netherlands Danse Theatre and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company.[6]

Wylliams choreographed for ballet and modern dance companies around the world.[11] Among dances he choreographed are Ascension, Baharini,[12][13] Evidence of Souls Not Seen, In the Rain, Minus Him, Quiet City, Shah Tah Tee and Sweet In The Morning. Wylliams taught in Russia, East Germany, Asia, and throughout the United States. He, too, was a visiting professor of dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music.[6]

In Boston during the late-1980s-into-very-early-1990s, Wylliams was interim-artistic-director of the Danny Sloan Dance Company; was founding artistic director of Wyll Danse Theatre; collaborated with acclaimed television producer Barbara Barrow-Murray; appeared with Sarah Caldwell’s Opera Company of Boston [OCB]; was assistant choreographer to renown-Broadway-choreographer Patricia Birch for the OCB’s staging of Leonard Bernstein's Mass, as well as for an OCB engagement at the Bolshoi in Moscow.[7]

Wylliams was assistant choreographer for Martin, a ballet tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. with music and libretto by Gordon Parks which premiered in Washington, D.C. during 1989 and was screened on national television on King's birthday in 1990. Wylliams, too, assisted Carmen de Lavallade in choreographing the Metropolitan Opera’s 1990 staging of Porgy and Bess .[7]

Wylliams met Mary Pat Henry while both were guest artists at a festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was there that they both became aware of their remarkably-similar visions of dance and its history.[14] Soon after, Henry relocated to the University of Missouri–Kansas City to teach at its Conservatory of Music and then beckoned Wylliams to move there too.[15] During 1991, the two of them founded Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre [WHDT] and were its co-artistic-directors.

During 1992, Wylliams choreographed, in collaboration with Heather White, what was to become his signature solo - Sweet In The Mornimg - with vocals by Bobby McFerrin.[5]

SWEET IN THE MORNING danced by Leni Wylliams - May 1994

Wylliams performed his Sweet In The Morning during Dance “Masters Night” (curated by Dianne McIntyre)[8][9][10] Wednesday, July 3 at the 1996 National Black Arts Festival [NBAF] in Atlanta, GA. That signature solo danced by Wylliams was shown along with a select array of presentations by other NBAF performance artists in a televised documentary of the festival - Ark of the Spirit - with Avery Brooks[16][8][9][10] produced by Turner Broadcasting System.[16]

The company built by co-artistic directors Leni Wylliams and Mary Pat Henry changed the face of dance in the Midwest.[14] Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre - now known as Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company[24] - continues to present with a range of more than 100 works that is as broad as any company in America.[14] It's known for its beautiful, athletic style.[25] and its presentation of powerful, uplifting works from a rich archive of American modern dance. The company's repertory[26] - ranging from the lyric to the avant garde - contains not only their own works, but dances by an array of internationally acclaimed choreographers.[25]

• List of dancers