Dyane Harvey-Salaam

Dyane Harvey-Salaam
Dyane Harvey-Salaam (photo by Michael Gray)
BornNovember 16, 1951 (1951-11-16) (age 74)
Schenectady, New York
OccupationsAssistant Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer, Dance Educator, Certified Pilates Instructor
Years active1968–present
Known forAssistant to choreographer Otis Sallid for Spike Lee's School Daze (1988)

Dancer in Syvilla: They Dance to Her Drum (1979)

Featured in Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back (2019)
Notable workTimbuktu!

The Wiz

Spell No. 7
SpouseAbdel R. Salaam
Children1 Child 2 Grandchildren
MotherAudrey P. Harvey
Websitehttps://www.forcesofnature.org/team/dyane-harvey
Notes

Dyane Harvey–Salaam (born November 16, 1951) is an American dancer, choreographer, educator, and performing artist. She has been awarded the 2024 BESSIE for Lifetime Achievement in Dance[1] in addition to winning a Bessie Award in 2017 and nominations in 2019 and 2024.[2] She is a certified Pilates instructor and serves on the board of the American Dance Guild.[3]

Harvey-Salaam is a founding member of The Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company[4], where she has worked as both performer and assistant to artistic director Abdel R. Salaam. Known for its synthesis of African and Afro-diasporic traditions, the company integrates Ballet, Modern dance, and Hip-hop dance to create works rooted in spirituality, ritual, and community.

She is also the author of "Making Movement as an Act of Listening, Riding with the Muse," published in a College Language Association Journal (CLAJ) special edition dedicated to the legacy of Ntozake Shange.[5]

She is a member of the faculty at Princeton University[6] and Hofstra University[7], where she teaches and develops courses in dance and movement studies.

Early life and education

Harvey–Salaam was born in Schenectady, New York to Audrey P. Harvey.[8]

From a young age, Dyane Harvey–Salaam showed a distinct preference for hands-on learning in dance, opting for intense studio training over traditional academic study—a choice that initially surprised her mother.[9] This dedication led her to leave home and secure an extended scholarship at Paul Sanasardo's Modern Dance Artists, marking the beginning of her formative New York dance education. Her training was further enriched at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, where she learned from influential figures like Thelma Hill, James Truitte, and Rod Rodgers.[9] Harvey–Salaam also pursued studies with Eleo Pomare at his studio and at the inaugural Ailey school located at the Firehouse on Fifty-Ninth Street, solidifying her foundational experience in the world of dance.[9]

Career

Over the course of her career, Harvey–Salaam has appeared as a principal soloist with numerous concert dance companies, including the Eleo Pomare Dance Company[10], Joan Miller's Dance Players[11], Chuck Davis Dance Company, Walter Nicks Dance Company, Otis Sallid's New Art Ensemble, George Faison's Universal Dance Experience, Dance Brazil, and the Repertory Dance Theatre of Trinidad and Tobago.[12]

Selected works

Her commercial and theatrical credits include performances in:

  • The Wiz (Broadway and the original film)
  • Timbuktu!
  • Ti Jean and His Brothers
  • The Great Mac Daddy
  • The Juju Man
  • Your Arms Too Short to Box With God (Paris production)

She also appeared in televised specials such as:

  • Ailey Celebrates Ellington (CBS)
  • Free To Dance (PBS)

In 2023, she performed as a guest artist in Sydnie L. Mosely's Purple: A Ritual in 9 Spells at Lincoln Center.[13]

Collaborations with Ntozake Shange

  • Boogie Woogie Landscapes: Harvey was also an original cast member in this Shange production.[15]
  • A Photograph: Lovers-in-Motion: Shange worked with dancers/choreographers, including Dyane Harvey and Mickey Davidson, on this piece.
  • Book Launch for Wild Beauty: Harvey performed a dance for the launch event of Shange's bilingual collection of poems, Wild Beauty.[15]
  • Dance We Do: A Poet Explores Black Dance: Shange's posthumously published book, which explores Black dance history, includes an interview with Dyane Harvey and mentions her among the influential dancers Shange worked with and was inspired by.[5]

Dyane Harvey–Salaam also served as the movement director/choreographer for a production of Ntozake Shange's work at the Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[16][17] Their work together was a prime example of Shange's blend of poetry, music, and dance into a unique "choreopoem" form, highlighting the collaborative nature of her creative process.

Awards and recognition

Harvey–Salaam's distinguished career is underscored by numerous prestigious awards for both her choreographic and performance contributions. As a choreographer, she earned AUDELCO Awards for 'Oya the Dance Drama' and 'Great Men of Gospel'. Her choreography in Debra Ann Byrd's 'Becoming Othello: A Black Girl's Journey' was critically acclaimed, receiving both the United Solo Award[18] and the Broadway Berkshire Award. Her profound influence in dance has also been recognized with the A.I.R. Living Legends Award from Miami Dade Community College, alongside the Distinguished Woman Award from both the Harlem Arts Alliance and the Harlem Chamber of Commerce.

In the realm of performance, in 2024 Harvey–Salaam earned a BESSIE for Lifetime Achievement in Dance[19] and a BESSIE nomination for her acclaimed performance in Sydnie L. Mosley's choreopoem, Purple: A Ritual in Nine Spells, staged at the Clark Theater at Lincoln Center.[20] She garnered a 2019 BESSIE nomination for her role in the revival of Eleo Pomare's 'HEX'. Notably, she previously won a 2017 BESSIE for her exceptional performance in Dance Africa's/Abdel R. Salaam's 'Outstanding Production of the Year'. Additional honors celebrating her impact include the Woman of Distinction Award, the Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Award from the Hempstead African-American Museum, and the Dance for Life Award from Better Family Life. She also holds the Monarch Merit Award, the Black Theatre Award, and the Goddesses and Gurus Award.

Her career and contributions have been documented by the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, including an Oral History Project interview and a feature in The Dance Historian Is In video series.[21]

See also

Mentions in Articles/Newspapers/Panels/Videos

References

  1. ^ Cristi, A.A. "The Bessies Will Honor Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Garth Fagan, Ballet Tech, And Gibney Dance". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media Publishing. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  2. ^ "The 2024 Bessie Nominations".
  3. ^ "Who We Are". AMERICAN DANCE GUILD. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  4. ^ "Company". Forces of Nature. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Harvey-Salaam, Dyane (2019). ""Making Movement as an Act of Listening, Riding with The Muse"". CLA Journal. 62 (1): 41–45. doi:10.34042/claj.62.1.0041. ISSN 0007-8549.
  6. ^ "Princeton University Program in Theater and Dance presents:". www.princeton.edu. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  7. ^ "Faculty Profile". Hofstra University. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  8. ^ Blanchet, Brenton (February 6, 2021). "'Fearless warrior': Activist, trailblazer Audrey Harvey remembered for strengthening both Schenectady, state". Gazette News Group, Inc. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Shange, Ntozake; Gumbs, Alexis Pauline (2020). Dance we do: a poet explores Black dance. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-9187-6.
  10. ^ a b Bloomfield, Arthur (1975). "Pomare dancers both strong and serene". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California: San Francisco Media Company (published January 30, 1975).
  11. ^ Warren, Charmaine Patricia. "Dance icon Joan Miller dies at 78". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  12. ^ "Digital Library of the Caribbean". dloc.com. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  13. ^ "Sydnie L. Mosley Dances' PURPLE: A Ritual in Nine Spells · Lincoln Center". lincolncenter.org. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Wolf, Matt (June 1, 1998). "Love's Fire". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c ALLEN, ZITA (November 19, 2020). "A tribute to Ntozake Shange's Dance We Do: A Poet Explores Black Dance". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
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  18. ^ "BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl's Journey – NYC 2021". United Solo. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  19. ^ Cristi, A.A. "The Bessies Will Honor Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Garth Fagan, Ballet Tech, And Gibney Dance". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media Publishing. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  20. ^ "The 2024 Bessie Nominations".
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  22. ^ stanceondance (July 29, 2024). "Celebrating PURPLE". Stance on Dance. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  23. ^ IsItModern? (April 24, 2024). "Come Home to Yourself - A Preview of SLMDances at Dance Place by Ashayla Byrd". Dancing in the District. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  24. ^ Armstrong, Linda (2022). "50th annual AUDELCOs spotlights Black Theater Excellence". New York Amsterdam News. Vol. 113, no. 49. New York, N.Y. (published December 2022). ISSN 1059-1818.
  25. ^ Armstrong, Linda (2022). "AUDELCO noms named for 50th golden anniversary awards". New York Amsterdam News. Vol. 113, no. 46. New York, N.Y.: New York Amsterdam News (published November 2022). ISSN 1059-1818.
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  27. ^ "Dance Conversation: Crossing Paths".
  28. ^ Better Family Life (April 11, 2021). “Keepin’ in Real: Dance and Marriage,” a conversation with Dyane Harvey-Salaam and Abdel Salaam. Retrieved November 11, 2025 – via YouTube.
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  30. ^ "SummerStage Dance presents Clark Center 60th Anniversary Tribute". www.dance.nyc. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
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  32. ^ Kourlas, Gia (August 8, 2019) [Aug. 8, 2019]. "7 Dance Performances to See in N.Y.C. This Weekend (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
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  1. ^ Lenzu, Anabella. "Dyane Harvey-Salaam". Anabella Lenzu. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  2. ^ iforcolor (November 11, 2018). "Dyane Harvey-Salaam - I For Color". I For Color - Black (DIVERSITY) Theatre and African American History. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  3. ^ "Abdel's Matrix – Abdel R. Salaam". performingartslegacy.org. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  4. ^ "Dyane Harvey | Peridance Center Faculty". Peridance Center. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  5. ^ "Spotlight In PURPLE". SLMDances. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
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