Cleo Parker Robinson
It’s Never Too Late to Rise Up in the Spirit of Dance!
Cleo Parker Robinson, the acclaimed founder, artistic director and choreographer of the 54-year-old performance and educational organization that bears her name, says it has never been a question of becoming a dancer; she has always been one.
Cleo credits her parents, Jonathon “JP” Parker, and Martha Parker with influencing and nurturing her creative energies from the time she was a child. JP broke barriers with his artistic success as the first paid professional black actor in Denver, and was her earliest dance instructor, teaching her and her siblings to Calypso their way through life’s daily tasks. Her father’s lessons would often take a more serious turn, as he would come home late from his work at the Bonfils Theater to rouse his sleeping family, and gather them at the table to deliver what he always said was the best education they could get: lessons on how to navigate the Jim Crow laws and racism they were bound to face as bi-racial children growing up in a segregated and often hostile society.
Cleo’s mother, Martha Parker, a white classically trained musician, was equally committed to assuring that her children learned and understood the profound power of the arts in making social change. Together JP and Martha represented the strength of love, dedication and commitment – to one another, to their children, and to the community around them. Some of those lessons became shockingly evident when ten-year-old Cleo suffered a near-fatal medical emergency. Her kidneys suddenly began to shut down, but when Martha attempted to get her care at the segregated Texas hospital near where they were living at the time, they were turned away. By the time Cleo was finally able to access medical treatment, she had suffered a heart attack. Doctors feared she might never recover, and for a time she internalized her trauma, unable to even speak.
The family returned to Denver and Cleo began to recover, despite the doctors’ opinion that she would remain bed-ridden, but as her body healed, the heaviness in her spirit remained. Seeking a release for the burden of what she had experienced, Cleo turned to dance, which she discovered held the key to reclaiming her power, re-awakening her voice, and affirming her innate artistic identity. Dance enabled her to feel whole and allowed her to discover the joy of bringing people together through movement. By the age of fifteen, having found her passion, Cleo was already teaching dance at the University of Colorado, Denver campus. On the recommendation of Professor Rita Berger, she traveled to New York to study under lauded dancers and choreographers, Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell (Founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem), returning to Denver to complete college with an eye toward pursuing an advanced degree in psychology. Still, it was dance that continued to lift her heart and give her joy. It became her vision to bring all that she had seen in the studios and theatres of New York to the Denver community, making a place for all people, particularly those of color, to see themselves represented and to express themselves freely through the arts. Her commitment was now to training young dancers to be ready not only for the stage, but for the world!
A few years later, in collaboration with Tom Robinson, her childhood sweetheart who later became her husband of 52 years, she launched Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, drawing on the support of community to bring the power, passion and beauty of Black dance to Denver, and across a global perspective. To Cleo, dance has always been about more than perfecting technique; dance is a way to connect, to grow, and to heal, whether by empowering ALL children, offering a new path to positivity for all ages, providing respite and strength to communities burdened by racism, poverty, and struggles of the mind, body, and spirit. Cleo has always said that “Dance is Life Outloud! In expression of her philosophy of “One Spirit, Many Voices”, her 240-seat theatre, Academy of
Dance, and International Summer Dance Institute are welcoming to all, regardless of background and ability. Now those facilities are growing even more, with the Cleo Parker Robinson Healing Center for the Arts set for its grand opening in January 2026. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, and second company, Cleo II, have performed everywhere from recreation centers to prisons to some of the most renowned venues world-wide, including the Lincoln Center, the Cairo Opera House, and the Vail Dance Festival. The repertoire of her company is the repository of not only her own choreography but that of other legendary icons of dance, including Katherine Dunham, Alvin Ailey, and Donald McKayle.
The message Cleo conveys with each performance is one of transforming fear and uncertainty into strength and resilience, a message she has often drawn upon throughout the 54-plus years of her organization. When her beloved husband of over 50 years transitioned only a month before the launch of a major concert series and touring season, the loss was overwhelming and she struggled with how she could lift herself, and her community. It was her friend and collaborator, Maya Angelou, who best gave voice to what came next. “And still I rise,” wrote Angelou, and that is just what Cleo did, summoning the strength to lead her company back out on tour. She has recently returned from a whirlwind of performances that took the ensemble from NYC
to Louisiana, where they performed “Sacred Spaces?”, a collaborative work combining Cleo’s choreography with that of Millicent Johnnie, with spoken word and the original score by Adonis Rose, Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, giving a powerful voice to the legacy of the three predominantly black churches in St. Landry Parish, LA that were burned to the ground five years ago in an act of hate.
Cleo believes the arts are food for the soul, a nourishment we need now more than ever. We are, she says, in a period of confusion, but in the midst of profound alienation from one another, she knows we all have the power to rise. Through her creativity, commitment and activism, Cleo continues to build bridges of hope, love, and compassion, reminding each of us to express our inner power, and dance together in any way we can.
Each day, in every day, still we RISE!!