Courtney Henry

Courtney Henry poses on a gray surface with one elbow on the surface and the other propped up on her hand and she is wearing a black turtleneck that extends over her fingers
Faculty

Courtney Henry is an interdisciplinary creator, performer, writer, educator, mentor and mother. All of her practices spring from a liberatory imagining through Afro-futurism, where time and space are non-linear. Her most recent research is using radical imagery to enliven the ballet form, so more bodies can see themselves inside the practice.

Biography

Courtney Henry grew up on the occupied lands of West Palm Beach, Florida, and was further educated at Fordham University in New York City. Leaving her cohort a few months before graduating, Henry was offered a contract with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, with which she danced for seven years and became a principal dancer with the company, touring and performing all over the world. While there, she participated in all of King’s world premieres in collaborations with high-profile artists such as Zakir Hussain, Jason Moran, Lisa Fischer, Jim Doyle and Jim Campbell.

Following in this spirit of collaboration, in 2018 she flew to Berlin, Germany, where she was a guest soloist with Richard Siegal’s Ballet of Difference, premiering and touring new works and repertoire throughout Europe. Living overseas expanded Henry’s artistic palette as she began freelancing as a writer, a performer and a researcher.

Her work has been featured as a dance artist and critical contributor in Dance Magazine, Pointe, {DIYDancer}, and numerous lifestyle and travel publications. Henry is an awardee of the Princess Grace Foundation – USA and Chris Hellman Dance awards, a YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix) Stars of Tomorrow Gala alum, and a Goethe Institute Research beneficiary. She holds an MFA from the University of the Arts and is a recipient of the UArts Creative Research & Innovation Grant.

Experience

  • MFA, University of the Arts

  • BFA, Fordham University/The Ailey School, New York, New York

Visit Courtney Henry’s website. 

Awards & Accolades

Henry’s work has been recognized numerous times.

  • University of the Arts, artist in residence, 2021–2023

  • UArts, Creative Research & Innovation Grant, 2022

  • Alex Dubé Scholarship recipient, 2021

  • Artist Relief Grant recipient, 2020

  • Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant recipient, 2019

  • Goethe Institute Research Grant awardee, 2018

  • Princess Grace Foundation Professional Development Award, 2017

“The function of freedom is to free someone else.” – Toni Morrison