Adam McKinney – Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s First Black Artistic Director

Adam McKinney has been selected as the new artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and becomes its first Black artistic director in its 54-year history.

He danced for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Bejart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet before going freelance.

He is an innovator who works at the crossroads of performance, anthropology, history, community liberation and healing. As Co-Director of DNAWORKS LLC – an arts and service organization committed to healing through dialogue – he promotes healing through the arts.

Early Life and Education

Adam McKinney excelled as an athlete and musician as a child growing up in Wisconsin, appearing in both school productions and community concerts. Later he earned a degree in music business and recording technology from UW-Oshkosh.

McKinney danced professionally with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bejart Ballet Lausanne, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet Company during his dancing days; now teaching in Fort Worth and being appointed artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Additionally he co-founded DNAWORKS which offers arts services geared toward healing through arts and dialogue.

Daniel is also an academic who employs dance as a tool to reconcile past traumas and bring communities together through site-specific performances that transcend time and place. His work has been presented across Asia, Africa, Central America Europe and the Middle East.

Professional Career

Adam McKinney boasts a distinguished and extensive background in arts leadership globally, serving as an arts organization director, tenured professor, choreographer, dancer, educator and activist. A skilled classical ballet instructor himself, Adam has extensive experience creating environments which promote artist training and development.

At present, he serves as artistic director for DNAWORKS, an arts and service organization focused on using arts in healing practices. Prior to this role, he held tenured Associate Professor status within Texas Christian University’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance department.

He danced for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bejart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet Company before embarking on his current project – Shelter in Place – an immersive multimedia installation now being displayed at Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

Achievement and Honors

Adam McCinney has enjoyed an accomplished and diverse arts leadership career worldwide, working as an arts organization director, tenured professor, choreographer/dancer/educator/activist. Additionally, he co-founded and co-directs DNAWORKS: an arts & service organization committed to healing through creativity & dialogue.

McKinney’s research lies at the crossroads between dance performance and dance studies, anthropology, community engagement, trauma studies, healing practices and technology. His work is deeply committed to social justice with site-specific performances and blurring temporality/place dichotomy at its heart.

He has served as both a US Embassy Culture Connect Envoy to South Africa and artist-in-residence at the South African Ballet Theatre, among many other projects. Additionally, he has taught master dance classes across England, Ghana, Hungary, Indonesia and Israel; former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer he currently resides in Fort Worth Texas.

Personal Life

Adam McKinney hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began dancing at age six. He found joy and fulfillment through the communal experience that ballet provided.

He boasts an accomplished background in arts leadership, serving as arts organization director, tenured professor, choreographer, dancer educator and activist. Additionally, he has led dance work with diverse populations throughout North America, Africa Asia and Europe.

He has an unwavering commitment to healing through art and serves as the co-director of DNAWORKS, an arts and service organization committed to making art accessible for all people.

Net Worth

Adam McKinney is an American rapper and social media influencer with an impressive fan following on both YouTube and Facebook. Through these platforms, he expresses his political and social opinions on an array of issues.

He holds great admiration and respect for America and is an outspoken patriot. His videos often provoke heated discussions among viewers worldwide and his views on various issues can be found viewed by millions worldwide.

As a rapper, he has released multiple rap albums that have received widespread acclaim from both fans and critics alike. Furthermore, he is well-known for expressing his views on feminism and Black Lives Matter through casual conversational videos.

Adam has an estimated net worth of $3 Million. His income comes primarily from music and his online activities; as there are no official sponsorships on any social media platforms where he operates, this gives him access to an expansive fan base that generates steady streams of income for him.