Meet Our Director- Christopher Scott Caldwell
Updated: Sep 20, 2020
"Nine years in the making. This company will be our space to entertain, explore, educate, and evoke! Welcome to our house!"
Christopher Scott Caldwell was born in Los Angeles, California in 1991, and lived a hop skip and a jump from of good ole' Hollywood. He was enamored with flowy things, loved music, mimicking Paula Abdul, and Ice Skaters, ran home to create dances until bedtime, was obsessed with rice and comedy, and declared over family dinner at age 7 to mom, he was going to be a dancer.
In 2009, Christopher was "having a good time," with his friend Cassia Dawson, a fellow classmate turned soulmate from college, when Cassia suggested it might be fun to start a dance company together. Since Christopher knew nothing about business, he was immediately in love with the idea of a partnership. They settled on Ovations Productions LLC, A Multi-Media Production Agency. Both Christopher and Cassia were amateur producers. They created 10 so-so projects and Christopher got the bug for something different. He decided to give up his full scholarship and leap into entrepreneurship.
Outside of school, he felt the pressure of finding something akin to a degree to lean back on and help him find day work. As a result, Christopher is board certified in 12 dances via Fred Astaire International by the legendary Lyle Bradshaw. Christopher was introduced to classical techniques by Bejart Ballet Lausanne, Shonach Mirk` Robles and Alvin Ailey prodigy, John Parks. Caldwell honors his years spent dancing at Bates Dance Festival as the birthplace for on-going studies in composition, contemporary, and postmodern techniques with talents such as Michael Foley (Cirque Du Soleil) Jennifer Archibald (ARCH DANC CO) Larry Kiegwin (The Julliard School) and more. Bates would also serve Caldwell with life altering traditional folkloric education in West African, Caribbean folk dance, and Cuban Son. Christopher is a certified practitioner of the Simonson Method of Teacher Training and is currently under mentorship with Lynn Simonson herself. He has also danced for: Macarthur Genius Grant Recipient) Bill T Jones and other choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, Tyce Diorio, Laurie Ann Gibson, Gil Duldulao, and Chris Judd, among others. In 2017 Christopher certified as a Whack Teacher with pioneer Disco choreographer and street historian Tyrone "The Bone" Proctor and since has begun mentorship under the world's last living original Punker, Viktor Manoel. His self created Hip Hop Cardio work-out, partnered by Fit Bit and their Wondercise App is currently available worldwide.
Along the way, he was steadily promoted, as an Educator, Choreographer, Artistic Director, Casting Director, Stagecoach, and Certified Personal Trainer. He always continued his education in other disciplines and eventually became a sought-after teacher trainer and now through his non profit (OGN) helps companies staff their dance organizations and certify their teachers and students. 40,000 students and rising!
Christopher's next effort was solo: Ovations Global Network (OGN) a not – for- profit 501(c)(3) alliance of artists, art makers, investors, and activists who have devoted to their platform to mobilizing the unifying qualities of dance to positively affect public quality of life for all. Having spent so much time liaising job opportunities for artists, teaching, and performing that he was able to taste what it feels like to aid in putting food on someone's table, validate a child's dream, and change lives one dance at a time. All of it lead to a vision for a not for profit that provides the dance artist, educator and enthusiast equal access to a range of quality dance services and tools for dance centered education, entertainment, research, professional development, advocacy, and outreach.
In addition to being a social activist, Christopher has spent over a decade creating dances and shows for stage and film. His choreography has been performed across the US, Japan, Jamaica, and on major TV networks. In 2014 Caldwell began working with chart-listed musicians and actors as a movement specialist. His clients include The Whispers | Kay Dee | DMS Entertainment International | Joe's Italian Ice | New York Exclusive (NYE) | Arthur Murray International | So You Think You Can Dance and more.
Around late 2016, Christopher started pursuing other business interests, particularly on the community outreach front. As curator of South Florida's Drum and Dance Folklore Series, Christopher, has come full circle. The series embodies the profound impact his early childhood education left on his heart. Namely his time as a teenager with not-for-profit West African Folklore Dance Academy | Colours International School of the Arts. Of which he now serves as a Board Director.
Long before devoting his work full-time to Ovations Global Network, Christopher was using dance and storytelling to affect public quality of life for his diverse growing community. He has received several honors for his "responsible excellence in the achievement of leadership and community development and community exposure of culture through the arts" including "Young Artist of the Year" and the Coca-Cola "Real Thing" Award. He is the executive producer What The Punk, and LGBTQ+ Safe space initiative featuring year-round outreach programming including Floridas 1st and only Gay Urban Dance Festival dedicated to the cultural education and preservation of 60’s 70’s and 80’s underground street dance styles born from LGBTQ+ pioneers. Christopher also served briefly from 2006-2008 as President for the National Honor Society for Dance Arts: South West Florida Chapter, and was on the board for the South Florida Theatre League from 2015-2016.