David Hochoy

Artistic Director

David HochoyNow celebrating his 22nd season with the company, DK's Artistic Director is truly an international ambassador. David Hochoy was born in Trinidad, West Indies. After receiving a B. Sc. at McGill University in Montreal where he began studying for a career as a doctor, he continued his graduate work in theatre with an M.A. in directing from Penn State. It was there where at age 20, David took his first dance class and discovered his true love of dance.

In New York he studied at the Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham schools and danced with numerous national companies, and in 1980 was invited to join the Martha Graham Dance Company. Made a soloist in 1982 and rehearsal director in 1986, David toured the world with Graham until 1989. He has given master classes in Graham technique throughout the United States and Europe, and in 1990 was invited to Guangzhou, China where, for ten weeks, he taught the experimental troupe of the Guangdong Dance Academy.

David has been on the faculty of the Martha Graham School since 1982. In addition he has taught at the American Dance Festival (ADF) held at Duke University, as well as ADF West in Salt Lake City and ADF Seoul in Korea. In 1991 he was invited to teach and choreograph at the Vienna International Dance Festival. He has given workshops in Quebec City, Tokyo, Oslo, Dublin and Rio de Janiero.

David spent two years as a full-time faculty member at Texas Christian University. Since his appointment as Artistic Director of DK in 1991, he has choreographed First Light, Stomping Ground, Puccini People, Jammin', Scheherazade, Seasons, Carnival of the Animals, Nutcracker Dances, Girl at the Piano; Recording Sound, In Taberna, Love Songs, Connlaoi's Tale, Carmina Burana, A Piece of Ellington, Jimson Weed, Au Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, Mother Goose, America, the Beautiful, The Healing Cup, COLE!, Ceremony of Carols, An Elvis Christmas, iconoGlass, Ashland Dances, The Shakespeare Project, Play Mas', Stephen by Steven, Skin Walkers, G&S.com, Renaissance Noel, El Salon Mexico, Fascinatin' Rhythm, Food of Love, Concierto de Aranjuez, Holiday Swing, Butterfly, The Planets, The Fairy's Kiss, China Boy, Water Music, "Let There Be Light," World Christmas Kaleidoscope, Canciones, The Four Elements, Gershwin in Love, Rhapsody in Blue, Writing on the Great Wall, Sophisticated Ellington, Magical Mystery Tour, In The Moog, Afternoon of a Faun, I Never Danced for My Father, Rite of Spring,There's No Business like Show Business, Elvis in Love, Electric Counterpoint, Piaf: A Celebration, Wonder-Full and Romeo and Juliet Fantasy for DK. He choreographed Le Creation du Monde for a collaboration with Maestro Mario Venzago and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has also choreographed numerous productions at the Indiana Repertory Theatre including A Christmas Carol, the Civic Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Edyvean Repertory Theatre, Salome for the Arizona Opera and Miss Evers' Boys for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and for Santa Fe Stages.

David co-directed As You Like It at the Indiana Repertory Theatre with IRT's artistic director Janet Allen. He was also Artistic Director of The Green Shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) for ten seasons. He has choreographed The Beat on the Ball State University Student Dance Company and most recently re-set sections of Fascinatin' Rhythm on Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz of the New York City Ballet and Sarah Lane of American Ballet Theatre for the inaugural gala performance of Indianapolis City Ballet.

David was a recipient of a prestigious Choo-San Goh Award for his choreography for Rhapsody in Blue in 2006. He is a two-time recipient of a Master Fellowship in Choreography and an Individual Artist Grant from the Indiana Arts Commission as well as a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis. He has been awarded the Key to the City by the City/County Council, the Distinguished Hoosier Award by the Governor of Indiana, and was honored by the Center for Leadership Development for outstanding achievement in the arts. In 2004, he was voted one of Indiana's 25 Keepers - men and women working to make a difference in Indiana - by the readers of Indy Men's Magazine.

In 2010, David traveled to Washington D.C. to serve as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. On April 2, 2011, Mayor Gregory A. Ballard declared that date as David Hochoy Day in honor of his 20 years as DK’s artistic director and service to the arts in Indianapolis.

Laura Glover

Resident Lighting Designer

Laura Glover

Laura E. Glover, Lighting Designer/Production Manager, in her 22nd season with DK, owns international acclaim for her lighting with Dance Kaleidoscope, Workshop Theatre Group, Ballets de San Juan, Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre and Taylor 2.  While residing in Indianapolis, she has lighted productions for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Butler Ballet, Jordan Academy of Dance, the Indianapolis Civic Theater, The Ruth Lilly Theatre at the Indianapolis Childrens Museum and Stage Tech, Inc.  She served as Artistic Director for the FINA World Swimming Championships Performances when it was in residence at Conseco Fieldhouse.  Her dance lighting includes over 70 world premieres and the reconstruction of the lighting of Jean Rosenthal, Thomas Skelton, Jennifer Tipton, and David Finley.  She has also been a guest artist at the Governor's School for the Arts and Virginia School of the Arts, both in Virginia.  Ms. Glover is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Indianapolis where she teaches lighting design.  She is a 2001 Creative Renewal Fellow of the Arts Council of Indianapolis and holds an M.F.A. in Lighting Design from SUNY Purchase, where she studied with Brian MacDevitt and Will Mintzer.

Cheryl Sparks

Costume Designer

Cheryl SparksCheryl is an Indianapolis native, and was an art major at the University of Mexico. She has been sewing for over 50 years. Cheryl is a fabric artist, creating the color and pattern in fabric before molding and sewing it to fit each dancer.

It is with joy she shares the creative process with choreographer, lighting designer and dancers. Together, a static piece of fabric becomes a work of art. She has also designed costumes for the Jordan (College of Fine Arts, Butler University) Dance Ensemble, Anderson Young Ballet Theatre, and the Lilly Theatre at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Cheryl has been with DK as in-house designer since 1996. Last year she was honored with the Mary Wright Sewall Leadership Award from the Propylaeum Historic Foundation for her many years of service and dedication to DK.