tome’ cousin (he/him)

Actor Self Advocacy

Pittsburgh PA, New York City
www.tomecousin.com

Tome Cousin is an internationally recognized director / choreographer / educator / performer and creator of musical theater works, ballets, films, new opera, song cycles, art installations and a published author.  While maintaining a prolific performance career he molded a creative reputation that includes collaborations in theater, dance, music, film, photography, television and literature. BA: Dance History, and Choreography, Point Park University and MFA in New Media Art and Performance from Long Island University.  

As an educator, Tome’ has taught all levels of dramatic movement theater: The Alvin Ailey School, Ballet Tennessee, New York University, Steps NYC, Ballet Centrum (Germany), Point Park University, Kahurangi Dance Theater (New Zealand), the Hungarian National Ballet Academy (Hungary), Jacques d’Amboise’s National Dance Institute and the Luigi Jazz Center in New York City.  As an author and strong advocate of diversity in the arts, he has written and published books, and articles that highlight and advance this conversation. 

He has received numerous commissions and awards including Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation 2011 Mike Ockrent Fellowship, for the John Guare play “A Free Man Of Color”, directed by George C. Wolfe at Lincoln Center Theatre, 3 fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, 2 Vera and Howard Heinz Foundation Direction Fellowships, the Family Pride Collation Commission, 1International Children’s Theater commission, six Choreographic/Continuum commissions, 3 International Dance/Theater fellowships, the “Distinguished Alumni Award” from his alma mater Point Park University, 3 Lambda Foundation Commissions, and an International Research Travel Fellowship.

He is currently a Professor of Dance at Carnegie Mellon University in the Department of Drama