Meet Roberson Kenneth

We were lucky to catch up with Roberson Kenneth recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Roberson, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

From Kenneth L. Roberson
BOLD interview

From Kenneth L. Roberson

RESILIENCE

“As my heart beats to the rhythm of the music
People turn their heads and stare, watching as I’m dancing there
I know Mama’s blessed, I’m best when I’m dancing
My feet can dance upon a dime, I’ll give five cents back keep in time”
by Marti Sharron

One of my earliest memories is being surrounded by “grown folks”, egging me to do the latest dances; the mashed potatoes, the jerk, and the pony within two minutes and thirty seconds of a rocking James Brown 45 rpm record. A dancer was born. The constant support and affirmation from my community were all I needed to keep on, keeping on.

After I moved to New York City from Georgia in 1979, I spent nine long years and nine months trying to break into the world of dance. Despite the challenges, I persisted, taking on various dance jobs with modern companies, disco bands, and international tours of Broadway shows. Finally, in 1989, I landed my Broadway debut in the groundbreaking show “Black and Blue.” It was a testament to my resilience and determination.

During the 80s, New York City was not a user-friendly place to be. Despite that, there was a thriving Broadway scene. I tussled with hopeful years of constant musical auditions. I attended tryouts two to three days a week. There were a minimum of two auditions each day. Too often, I heard the monitor releasing everyone except for those whose names were called to stay and sing. I would be in that “released” group. These rejections took a toll on my confidence, leading me to find ways to cope with the disappointments. I often consoled myself by believing that the job wasn’t meant for me and that it was God’s will. I also made excuses, such as needing more time to work on the routine or considering dental work to improve my appearance. All of the above were true. These thoughts motivated me to work even harder by taking “survival jobs” and intensifying my training at various dance studios to get closer to my dream of performing on Broadway. My determination and persistence eventually paid off, leading to roles in three Broadway shows. Later, when I decided to pursue choreography, casting directors from Broadway shows began offering me jobs without requiring auditions. Temptation knows when to come from the wings to push you off stage. Despite the challenges, I remained dedicated to pushing forward.

I fought my nemesis and won. A seminal event came on the heels of my match with temptation. I was being considered for a job as a choreographer for a new small-scale off-Broadway production. However, the relief I felt was short-lived as I didn’t get the job. I still needed to make a living, but returning to dancing was out of the question.

I remember that it was on a Thursday. I can still see the image of me walking through those shiny glass double doors of the temp agency. As I swung open the doors to enter the office and fill out the job applications, I caught a reflection of myself with my tail tucked. The nerve of those job application papers to ask questions about my office job skills! Did they not know who I thought I was? Most of the skills were not recognizable to me after so many years of not swimming in the office pool. For instance, I was not ready for this software called Microsoft Word Processor and that ole evil Lotus PC spreadsheet. On the bright side, I could still out-type Della Street, which was a relief. Humility is the best friend of resilience.

The office manager took pity on me and gave me time to figure out those new tasks. My sweetness was her weakness. She said to me, “Mr. Roberson, I will take a chance on you. Come back tomorrow for more practice, and on Monday, come to wait here for a possible assignment”. As fate would have it, on that Thursday evening, I received a call from HBO studios and, through a recommendation, I got hired as a choreographer for John Leguizamo’s first Television special, “The House of Buggin’”. I was contracted to start work a week from that coming Monday. This news reassured me that I was on the right track.

Overall, resilience is an acquired trait, in my case, that was developed in a supportive home environment; I grew up under the same roof with two parents who exemplified self-motivation. I had the privilege to see examples of their determination to overcome challenges from sitting with them at the dinner table five days a week.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a veteran of the entertainment industry with almost 40 years of experience. I started as a dancer on Broadway and later became a Broadway choreographer. One of my best-known works is being the Broadway choreographer for the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q. Another highlight of my career was receiving a Primetime Emmy award nomination for choreographing John Leguizamo’s THE HOUSE OF BUGGIN’ for Fox TV.

My most recent work can be seen in the Netflix movie RUSTIN, where I worked as a period movement consultant. In this role, I ensure that all movements in a scene align with the period and setting of the movie and are free from anachronisms. This involves making sure that the actors’ dance moves look authentic for the period depicted.

Lately, I have been working on three scripts. One is a play with music that I am co-writing with two other award-winning Broadway veterans, and the other two are performance pieces, one of which is autobiographical. I strongly believe in the power of the performing arts to heal and provide relief from life’s difficulties, even if only for a few hours.

An audience member once wrote to me after seeing my one-person show in NYC Off-Broadway. While undergoing chemotherapy, she found moments in my play so funny that she laughed until she cried, providing a much-needed break from her treatment. This experience reinforced my belief that the performing arts can be a vessel for healing.

For more information, you can visit kennethroberson.com.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’ve discovered that curiosity is one of the keys to my success. I’m always interested in studying topics that are not related to my career, and I find that this expands my knowledge and often influences my work in unexpected ways. My broad knowledge base as a director gives me the vocabulary and inspiration to create imaginary worlds of theater.

I love traveling to foreign countries and have had the opportunity to live in two of them: France for six months and Japan for a year and a half. Visiting a foreign country feels like living in a history book, and these experiences enrich my life in ways that also benefit my work.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I am currently facing the challenge of time management. I might be working on too many projects at once, but I feel that they need my attention while my creative juices are flowing. To help make things easier, I write a list of what I need to accomplish on any given day, and I use the timer on my mobile phone to put each bit of work into timed compartments. This process is often successful. Besides keeping a list, I find that working outside of my home makes me more productive. I have a favorite coffee shop that I go to, and they don’t mind if I stay all day. The buzz of people moving around, the smell of coffee, all of this relaxes me and helps me to focus on the job at hand. On the contrary, working at home, I find too many distractions, like sweeping up the random dust bunny, doing laundry, and cooking. Hence, working at home is not ideal for me. I suggest you try working outside of the house if you are not already doing so. Of course, there are some jobs that I can’t help but do at home, and of course, Zoom calls outside of my house are a no-no for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kennethroberson.com
• Instagram: robersonworks
• Facebook: Kenneth Roberson

Image Credits

these are my own personal photos