Sean McLeod is an Executive Producer, Award Winning Businessman, and American Choreographer whose work spans more than 30 years and 3 continents including New York City, across the US; internationally to the West Indies, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. Sean is founder of Reaching for Higher Ground Consulting, President of Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre, and is Executive Producer of the Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival, New York Dance Festival and the Global Dance Initiative. He served as a Think Tank member for the $125 Million Dollar Creative Rebuild New York (CRNY), HueArts New York State Advisory Committee, New York State Counsel on the Arts Panels, and the Tri-State Incubator for Arts and Culture Leaders of Color. He has worked with several Senators and Congressmen and is a Conference Designer, Fortune 500 Executive Life Coach, and Resolution Expert. Sean uses the arts to teach Personality Development and Emotional Development for Corporations and Executives. He teaches life skills, habit shedding, and racial innovation training for schools, universities, and their leadership.
Sean McLeod is President of the New York Institute of Dance & Education and the recipient of countless awards including the coveted Jefferson Award for Public Service to America founded by the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the New York State Liberty Award (the NY Senate’s highest honor), the NAACP Trailblazers Medal of Honor, and 2020 Arts Manager of the Year for the W. Carroll Coyne Center for the Performing Arts. Sean was inducted into the Auburn Music Hall of Fame and is presently working with the legendary Wycliffe Gordon on new arrangements of “A Soundtrack for Harriet Tubman,” a suite of songs he composed nearly 30 years ago. Sean McLeod is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers-ASCAP.
Mr. McLeod attended the Conservatory of Dance at the State University of New York at Purchase and has established himself as successful Consultant and Executive Corporate Advisor. An expert creator, strategist, and wordsmith, he assists CEO’s and their teams connect their products with greater audiences, understanding, and appeal.
Sean is a Master Teacher and acknowledged developer of Movement Systems; McLeod Technique, MT Afro Hip Hop, Training For Athletes, McLeod Technique Reinforced Motor Function®, Reinforced Motor Function® for Ballet Application and, McLeod Technique for Pointe which are taught globally. Mr. McLeod is an expert in Emotional Development, Personality Development and Body Alignment; and created a Black dance technique syllabus for university study at the State University of New York at Cayuga Community College that he also taught at RIT. In 2020, the McLeod Technique 15 week Syllabus Course taught by Ballet Legend Karen Brown became part of the curriculum at University of Missouri Kansas City-UMKC, and in 2021 became an Essential Courses required for Graduation. Sean launched the Black Ballet Choreographers Symposium and Commision Conference Workshop in LA in 2018 along with the International Association of Blacks in Dance, and later developed the Black Ballet Discovery Project and the Genius Initiative. He believes you can be anything you want, provided you prepare yourself, share immensely, and help others be significant too.
As a Black Intellect Sean has had countless commissions from Universities to the Federal Government. He has provided master classes, taught, or lectured about business and the arts for several colleges and universities including Wells College, Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Howard University, Purchase College, Adelphi University and more.
For nearly 30 years Sean has led the Applied Study Program at NYIDE providing business, teaching, and performance training for college students, emerging and professional dancers, and dance teachers. That program led to the creation of a Partnership with Cayuga Community College where Sean’s turn key and time tested dance development programs were introduced through the Continuing Education division of the two year college.
As a Black Choreographer Sean has had countless commissions from Universities to the Federal Government. At the beginning of his career Sean McLeod used choreography and dance to present experiences that challenged the way minorities and people of color are seen in contemporary society. 30 years later Sean additionally uses movement to help women and girls around the globe to find their self value in life and survive well in dance. Sean McLeod is an altruistic “believer in people,” whose purpose is moving people to tangible action, personal responsibility and aiding those in social conflict.
To meet this need, Sean McLeod founded the New York Institute of Dance & Education; Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre (KDT); the New York Dance Festival; the New York Center for Health and Healing; the Fine Arts Dance Association (FADA); the Educational Tour on Self-esteem through Dance; Community of Color World Culture Celebration; Circles-Expanding Horizons Program; Mission to South Africa; Reaching for Higher Ground Consulting, Change International, “Moving Past Racism” City Healing Series, the Carmen De La Vallade Award for Dance, the Janet Collins Fellowship, the Global Dance Initiative, and has personally awarded over 400 thousand dollars to established and emerging artists.