Betsi Graves | Founder & Director

Betsi Graves is an award-winning, nationally-recognized choreographer and the Founder and Director of Urbanity Dance, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring, engaging, and empowering communities through dance. Originally from Plainville, Kansas, Graves' formal dance training began at age eight, when her family migrated to Orlando, Florida. At seventeen, she was selected by Mia Michaels to tour across the U.S. on full scholarship with LA Underground. After pursuing an English degree at Boston College, Graves discovered her passion for teaching and began teaching dancers of all ages in ballet, jazz, and contemporary at Harvard University (2004-2006), Boston Ballet (2002-2012), and many other institutions. During this time, she also performed for Karen Murphy-Fitch’s Falling Flight Project, as a street performer for Theatre Mama, and in Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza.

Since founding Urbanity Dance in June 2008 and incorporating as a non-profit in October 2011, the company has expanded to reach over 10,000 people annually through it's Company, School, and Community programs. Over the last ten years, Graves' choreography for Urbanity has been presented at venues locally and nationally, including Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Inside/Out, Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, Mass MOCA, Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Hatch Memorial Shell. Graves leads weekly Dance With Parkinson's classes, training under David Leventhal (Mark Morris Dance Group). In 2012, Graves founded the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, which hosts 35 contemporary dance companies from around the world. Passionate about creating equitable opportunities for dance-making and dance-doing, Graves' vision is to expand access and increase paid opportunities for dancers in Boston.

Press Quotes

“The first half of the program, “Dancing With Bach,” invited direct comparison with Paul Taylor and Mark Morris as well as Balanchine. The choreography of Urbanity Dance founder Betsi Graves delivered, as did the performance of her dancers.” - Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe (January, 2014)

Graves is a choreographer in full command of her space.  Does it look easy? It’s not.”  -French Clements of Dance Magazine

“Betsi Graves is a little bit of Natalie Portman from Black Swan, a little bit of Milla Kunis from Black Swan and probably a whole lot of sick of getting that comparison. Attention Hollywood: we’re gonna need a few more psycho-sexual ballet-themed thrillers. Get on that, wouldja?” -J. Pat, The Weekly Dig

“Graves’ choreography in A Midsummer Night’s Dream was ASTONISHING. (I really liked it.)” -Larry Stark, The Theater Mirror

“Graves’ work is highly emotional, startling, and expressive. I was about to burst into tears any number of times watching the dancers and absorbing their lovely lines of choreography.  The show moved me in my belly, like listening to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Something primeval was touched, and every time a dancer left the stage I was aware of the leavetaking.” -Tom Kaplan-Maxfield, Independent Arts Critic

“Urbanity Dance looks stronger than it has any right to, with more fans (the performance I saw nearly sold out) and more artistic ambition that companies twice (or gosh, even three times!) its tender age.” Thomas Garvey, The Hub Review

“The crowd favorite of the night was definitely "Funkytown," choreographed by Betsi Graves. This was the most creative and gutsy act of the night, and the dancers created unique moves such as a “giant worm.” - Jaclyn Rada, The Heights


“You can detect the whimsy of Dutch choreographer Jirí Kylián in Graves’s work, but she gives subtle life to Bach’s canonic writing, and her theme of women’s unity and connection with the musicians climaxed in the final group hug.” - Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe

NYFA.org Feature December 2014
Boston Globe January 2014
Boston Globe August 2013
Boston Herald November 2011