Key'Aira Lockett

Guest Educator

Institute of Contemporary Dance

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Key'Aira Lockett embarked on her dance journey at the age of three, studying classical Ballet and Modern and traditional African Diasporic techniques at Dallas Black Dance Academy. Her formative years were dedicated to honing her skills at the academy, and by sixteen, she had joined Dallas Black Dance Theatre II while attending Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Continuing her pursuit of dance, Key'Aira earned her BFA in Dance with a focus on Creative Performance from the Boston Conservatory. Post-graduation, she went on to achieve her MFA in Performance and Choreography from Hollins University, including a study abroad experience in Frankfurt, Germany.Key'Aira's professional journey has seen her grace the stage with various dance companies and leave her choreographic imprint on renowned institutions such as the University of Houston, Boston Conservatory, Hollins University, Berklee College of Music, and Urbanity Dance Company. In 2023, she debuted her first choreographic site-specific work in Harlem, NY, collaborating with Nari Ward's "Breathing Court" mural commissioned by Project Backboard. With a dance film background, Key'Aira Lockett has been commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Arts for her dance film "Home Alone" in 2021. She won the Emerging Film Festival Award at the Roxbury International Film Festival for her choreographic and directorial debut of "Roxbury Love Story" in 2020. Additionally, she is a published author, having written and published a dance thesis entitled "Freedom As Futurity."Currently calling Houston, Texas home, Key'Aira Lockett assumes the role of the University of Houston Dance Ensemble Director and Assistant Professor of Dance. Her commitment to transformative research is evidenced by her involvement in the Midnight Oil Collective, where she anticipates a significant investment for her ongoing project, "Restorative Movement: Activating Dance as an Environmental Resolution," affectionately known as "HOME TEAM."