Ken Ard

Who is Ken Ard?

Ken Ard is an American dancer, choreographer, actor and singer.

Born in Oakland, California in 1960, he grew up in a home visited by a large number of jazz greats. Joe Williams was a personal friend of his father, while bassist Paul Chambers his uncle, Carmen McRae a close friend of his aunt, and Ard would assist Nina Simone with her performances when she would appear in Oakland.

His mother exposed him to jazz through frequent visits to musical in San Francisco and Oakland. Ard also proved to be an especially good gymnast, winning the California youth gymnastics championship at 16.

At the age of 17, dancing at the Oakland and San Francisco Ballet, he was approached by Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross for a lead role in his show, Evolution of the Blues, to be presented in the historical Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco.

Ard was asked to choreograph for shows in Hawaii. When Alvin Ailey came to Hawaii, he asked Ard to dance in his American Dance Theater. But after a few months, Ard missed the dynamic of the combination of song and dance, and auditioned for a Broadway show for which he was selected, Cats, Starlight Express, Song and Dance, Jelly's Last Jam and Smokey Joe's Cafe.