Howard Alum Christen Reyes Named Artistic Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre: Encore!
By Chad Eric Smith, Director of Marketing & Communications, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts
Featured Image: Christen Reyes. Photo by Shawn Lawson.
The Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts proudly celebrates Christen Reyes, who has been appointed Artistic Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre: Encore!, the organization’s renowned second company. A visionary dancer, choreographer, and educator, Reyes brings an extraordinary blend of artistry, leadership, and community-rooted purpose to this new role.
Reyes, a BFA graduate of Howard University and a legacy member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, steps into the position with deep ties to the DBDT family. She will guide the ensemble’s artistic programming, repertory, educational initiatives, and community partnerships across the Dallas–Fort Worth region. Reyes follows Nycole Ray, who served as Artistic Director for 15 years during an outstanding 30-year tenure with the company.
Her artistic foundation is shaped by training and collaboration with leaders in the field, including Camille A. Brown, Hope Boykin, Ray Mercer, and Kim Bears-Bailey, and through performing works rooted in the legacy of Pearl Primus and Ronald K. Brown. Beyond the stage, Reyes has become a major force in dance education in North Texas. She founded the dance program at Fort Worth Independent School District’s I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA, guided students to 100 percent college placement with scholarships, and launched the Fort Worth Dance Festival, which unites over 20 studios and companies to share dance with the broader community.
A Howard Journey That Shaped a Leader
Reyes credits Howard University as the place that sharpened her artistic discipline, expanded her administrative vision, and grounded her in a sense of purpose that continues to guide her work.
In her own words:
My time at Howard was very influential in my success thus far. Serving as Professor Pat Thomas’s assistant, as well as the many performance opportunities, set me up for success as a dancer at Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Being mentored by professors like Tiffany Quinn and Lela Sewell Williams allowed me to understand how to operate from an administrative perspective. From these experiences, not only did I find success at Dallas Black, but I was able to build and create a dance program from scratch with very little resources. Because of the network I built while at Howard, I was able to bring in some of the industry’s best choreographers to work with my students in preparing them for college and career readiness. Through submitting to the process, trusting my professors, and seeing how every discipline is interconnected, I learned who I am as an artist. I am so proud to be an alum of the Howard University Dance Program, and I hope to make our theatre arts community proud while opening doors for as many young artists as I can in this new role.
Her reflections capture the heart of what makes Howard’s artist-scholars exceptional: rigorous training, mentorship rooted in care, and an understanding that creativity and leadership are inseparable.
Reyes officially assumes the role of Artistic Director of DBDT: Encore! on January 5, 2026.
At Howard, we celebrate her ascent, her excellence, and the legacy she carries forward. Christen Reyes stands as a powerful testament to what it means to be shaped by the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts—where artistry meets legacy and where our alumni continue to transform communities through the highest vibrations of creative practice.
