Since 2008, Dance Key West has been synonymous with movement in Key West, holding court on the island’s mainstages while finding moments in which they can pop up on sandy stretches or in neglected alleyways with unexpected, but accessible, site-specific works.
While the company maintains a consistent presence and high level of artistic integrity in its productions, the dominant focus of its first 10 years has been finding niches and filling gaps, giving back to the community.
Founder and director Kyla Piscopink remembers the fledging days of the organization she started after leaving New York to chase her love to the Keys. “It was a difficult choice to relocate because there wasn’t much of a dance scene here and dance was my passion,” said Piscopink. “My solution was to create Dance Key West as a way to provide opportunities for myself and other dancers to create and perform at a professional level here.”
The opportunities created have been countless. Though the name of the company references the tight-knit community in which, and for which, Piscopink develops programming, the enthusiastic choreographer doesn’t limit her creativity to a two-by-four-mile radius. Over the years, the company has performed original content at NYC’s Lincoln Center, Triskelion Arts and annually at Dixon Place, New York’s pre-eminent artistic incubator. - Keys Weekly READ MORE HERE
Dance Key West is 501c3 nonprofit company (Tax ID: 26-3272935).
Mission: To support and produce the artistic vision of Kyla Piscopink, to promote the art of dance, and to share the experience of the art form by engaging individuals, the underserved community of Key West, and communities beyond.
The Board: Penny Leto, Stephanie Mitchell, Erin Stover, John Tishok
(Photos L-R: Steve Dimse, Eric Bandiero, David Perlman)
Kyla Piscopink
Kyla Piscopink’s dance career has taken her everywhere from NFL cheerleading to the Nutcracker—and pretty much everywhere in between. Somewhere along the way, in 2008, she founded Dance Key West and has served as artistic director ever since. With Dance Key West, Kyla has presented and performed her work at Lincoln Center, Dixon Place, Triskelion Arts, and all over the stages, streets, and beaches of Key West. Kyla is most passionate about dance’s ability to connect, heal, and transform, and that passion can be seen in the DKW outreach programs she has developed, including: The ReMARCable Dance Project, Telling My Story, Dance America, and BVMP Dance & Technique.
Kyla’s choreography credits include “OK Toilet Bowl”, (a children’s music video with STEVENSTEVEN, dir: Steve Burns), two musicals at The Studios of Key West: Prime Time (by Blake Hunter & Charles Lindberg, dir: Murphy Davis), and See Jane Run!, (by Maribeth Graham & Dana P. Rowe, dir: Murphy Davis), StylePointe (a New York Fashion Week event at Dixon Place), and Five Course Love at The Red Barn Theatre (by Gregg Coffin, dir: Moritz von Stuelpnagel).
Kyla is Pilates Mat certified, has a BA in Sociology from The State University of New York at Fredonia, and teaches Performing Arts/Dance at Grace Lutheran School in Key West. Kyla is proud to be a member of American Legion Unit 1280 Auxiliary in Cassadaga, NY and the Florida Keys Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Kyla lives in Key West with her husband, Dennis, and their two children, Hendrix & Polly. For more information, please visit: kylapiscopink.com.
