ARTIST

DirectION & ChoreographY

Ken has choreographed and/or directed more than 200 works for the concert, opera and theatre stage. His choreography has been commissioned by dance, opera, theatre and musical theatre companies in 8 states. Ken’s direction of book shows spans the styles of the work of Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams to the musicals of Kander and Ebb, Irving Berlin and Rodgers and Hammerstein. His training in acting and dance allows for a seamless approach to staging while emphasizing honest communication through dialogue, song and movement. In his studies, Ken has focused on the technique of José Limón as a student of Ruth Currier, Risa Steinberg and Betty Jones. His article, Ruth Currier: Translating Humphrey, can be found in the August 1990 issue of Dance Magazine. Ken has received awards in choreography from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Maryland State Arts Council. He is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Education and administration

Ken is an active master teacher of acting and dance throughout the United States. He has served as the Executive Director of the Maryland State Arts Council, as the Fine Arts Coordinator for the Maryland State Department of Education and as the Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Teacher Specialist for Anne Arundel County Public Schools' Apex Arts Program where he developed programming for the county’s first arts magnet high school uniquely focusing on creative and collaborative processes to bridge student artistry with community and global issues. His long-term teaching posts have included the Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Goucher College, Southwest Missouri State University, University of North Carolina and private schools throughout the country. Ken was the Executive Director of the Clear Space Theatre Company and Kinetics Dance Theatre and he was the Director of Student Life for the School of American Ballet in New York City. His teaching specializes in the modern dance technique of Jose Limon and a Stanislavski-based acting technique. In 1997 Ken was nominated for the Governor’s Award for Arts Educator of the Year. Ken’s former students have appeared on television (MAD MEN, SCANDAL, WILL AND GRACE), Broadway (MAMMA, MIA!, CHICAGO, THE WILD PARTY, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE LION KING, HAIRSPRAY, THE BOOK OF MORMON), and appear in numerous professional regional theatre and dance companies, movies, and national tours.

PERFORMANCE

As a performer, Ken Skrzesz has appeared as everything from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA to Herr Drosselmeyer in THE NUTCRACKER with the Springfield Ballet. His theatre background includes 20 leading roles. Ken became a member of Actors’ Equity Association while performing at the Goodspeed Opera House. He has danced in concert with Alan Danielson and Company, Deborah Carr’s Theatre Dance Ensemble, Kinetics Dance Theatre and toured internationally with SURGE Dance Company. He has performed as a guest artist in Jose Limon’s CHOREOGRAPHIC OFFERING and with the TED SHAWN LEGACY. Ken is a baritone soloist and has toured extensively with various versions of AN AMERICAN SONGBOOK since 1999 (more than 100 performances). Ken earned his Master of Fine Arts in dance from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro where he performed with the dance, opera, music, and theatre departments. He is a native Baltimorean where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Towson State University. In 1985 Ken received the Baltimore Mayor’s Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts. He received distinguished alumni awards from Towson State University in 1992 and from the University of North Carolina in 2008.