Pearl Reynolds

Pearl Reynolds was an American dancer, choreographer, and educator whose Broadway career spanned from 1954 to 1964. She made contributions to African-American dance through performance, teaching, and institutional collaboration, and she died on August 23, 2009.

Reynolds appeared in four Broadway productions during her performing career. She originated the role of Mamselle Ibo-Lele in House of Flowers in 1954, and two years later took an ensemble role in the drama Mister Johnson. In 1957 she performed as an Islander in the musical Jamaica, and in 1961 she appeared in an ensemble capacity in Kicks and Co. Her final Broadway credit came in 1964, when she played a Townsperson in Blues for Mister Charlie. Beyond the stage, Reynolds appeared in two films: Quest in 1961 and Syvilla: They Dance to Her Drum in 1979.

Reynolds was associated with the Katherine Dunham Technique and served as an instructor at both the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 1985 and 1986, she conducted workshops at Houston Community College, where her work contributed to the development of the African Dance Society at that institution.

She was also a co-founder of the Association of Black Choreographers, an organization she established alongside Carole Johnson, Rod Rodgers, Gus Solomons Jr., and Eleo Pomare. That organization preceded the Modern Organization for Dance Evolvement, known as MODE, and was focused on promoting Black choreographers.

Reynolds mentored several figures who went on to prominence in dance. Kariamu Welsh, the founder of the Umfundalai technique, acknowledged Reynolds as a mentor and friend. Dr. Sherrill Berryman Johnson, a choreographer and educator, studied under both Reynolds and Katherine Dunham.