DARRELL GRAND MOULTRIE was born and raised in Harlem. After beginning his training in musical theater and dance at PS144 and the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in East Harlem, he studied opera and dance at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts. Moultrie received his bachelor's degree from the Juilliard School, and upon graduation, earned the prestigious Martha Hill prize for outstanding achievement and leadership. He now pursues a career as both a choreographer and performer and his work is being performed throughout the country. Mr. Moultrie is a recent recipient of a 2007 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award.
His ballet Pulse, commissioned and premiered by Connecticut Ballet, warranted Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times to write "Moultrie is obviously someone to watch." Meg Freeman Whalen of The Charlotte Observer states simply, "Beyond Breath leaves you breathless," of his work commissioned and premiered by North Carolina Dance Theatre--and of Vital Sensations, commissioned and premiered by Colorado Ballet, and also performed by Milwaukee Ballet, Cari Cunningham of The Boulder Daily Camera, writes, "Moultrie's conceptualization of both movement and space far surpasses his age." His work Heightened was enthusiastically received by Cincinnati Ballet. Other choreographic works include Against the Grain at the request of the late Benjamin Harkarvy for the Juilliard Dance Ensemble accompanied by the Juilliard Orchestra, and a collaboration with Cleo Parker Robinson entitled One Nation Under a Groove presented by Lincoln Center. Currently Celestial Landscape, his second work for Ailey II, is being performed across the country. His most recent new work, Second Exposure, premiered by Colorado Ballet at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in March 2007 to rave reviews, was described the "most inventive" by Marc Shulgold of the Rocky Mountain News "arguably, the highlight" by Kyle MacMillan of The Denver Post. In addition, Mr. Moultrie has been on faculty at many artistic institutions across the U.S., including the Juilliard School, the Ailey School, Dance Theater of Harlem, and Perry Mansfield, where his unique teaching style has caused him to be both respected and much sought after. He has also choreographed national commercials for Mastercard, Mod's hair products, Schick Quattro 4 razor, and has done work for the Dave Chappelle show. Mr. Moultrie staged Unspeakable , a new play on Richard Pryor for the New York City Fringe Theater Festival directed by Rod Gailes. In January 2006, he was the youngest judge on the panel for the 2006 Miss America pageant in Las Vegas. Mr. Moultrie created a new work Tumultuous Tides for the dancers of the cast of the Broadway musical The Color Purple for Dance From the Heart, a benefit to support DRA, Dancers Respond to Aids.
Summer 2007 began with an evening of Mr. Moultrie's works performed at the New Works Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at Perry Mansfield and continued with a world premiere at the Fire Island Dance Festival of Trois La Femme. He also created Steel Vision for Mr. Rasta Thomas and his Bad Boys Of Dance for their Jacob"s Pillow Premiere!, and created Toe the Line for The Juilliard Summer Dance project. Summer ended with Mr. Moultrie's second work for Cincinnati Ballet, Three for g, being reviewed as "ebullient, energetic and endlessly engaging...a work that oozes with joy and sincerity..." And his Tumultuous Tides along with his work The Eternal Knot was presented at the Holland Dance Festival by Ms. Francesa Harper and the Alvin Ailey B.F.A. Program in November. In 2008 Mr. Moultrie will travel to South Africa to create a new work for The Guguletu Ballet Company in conjunction with Stanford University and will create new works for BalletMet and The Juilliard School.
As a performer, Mr. Moultrie was seen in West Side Story in Milan, Italy, at the world famous La Scala Opera House. He has worked with Lar Lubovitch in his Men Stories, and was a part of the original workshops of the Public Theatre's Radiant Baby directed by George C. Wolfe and Sweet Charity. He was seen on Broadway in the smash hits Hairspray The Musical with Harvey Fierstein, and in Aida, where he performed the role of Mereb opposite Toni Braxton, and was a part of the original Atlanta mounting of The Color Purple.
Hot Nights, Cool Dance Photo: Will Shively
