Antonio Douthit-Boyd is the newly appointed Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet and Dance Chair of the Patel Conservatory at The Straz Center, where he is committed to training versatile dancers prepared for today’s evolving arts landscape.

Before joining The Straz Center, Douthit-Boyd served as the Artistic Director of Dance at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis, where he helped build nationally recognized pre-professional programs and expanded opportunities for young artists.

A celebrated performer, Douthit-Boyd trained at the Alexandra School of Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Joffrey Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, and Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem School. In 2000, he joined Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of founder Arthur Mitchell, rising to the rank of Soloist and performing iconic works by George Balanchine, including The Four Temperaments, Agon, and Serenade, as well as repertory favorites like Fancy Free, Dougla, and Return.

In 2004, he began a twelve-year tenure as a Principal Dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, captivating audiences worldwide. His performances in works by Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Robert Battle, Wayne McGregor, Jiří Kylián, and Paul Taylor earned critical acclaim from The New York Times, which praised his “special magnificence” among Ailey’s renowned ensemble.

An accomplished educator, Douthit-Boyd is an ABT® Certified Teacher, having completed the ABT® National Training Curriculum from Pre-Primary through Partnering. His dedication to dance education has earned him national recognition alongside his husband, Kirven Douthit-Boyd. In 2021, the couple received the Excellence in the Arts Award from the St. Louis Arts and Education Council, followed by the Dance Teacher Magazine Award in 2022. From the stage to the studio, Antonio Douthit-Boyd continues to inspire the next generation of artists, shaping the future of dance with vision, compassion, and excellence.